Wagons wait for Laloo to get wheels

Some 40,000 wheel-sets need to be imported by the Railways every year. The Rail Wheel Factory at Bangalore and Durgapur Steel Plant, manufacturing to full capacity, are unable to meet the demand.

Sources said that the minister has not given any reason for refusing to import wheels. ‘‘The file has been put to him five times but each time he has sent it back without signing and without giving any reason,’’ a senior official said.

Sources close to the minister say it’s because Laloo is against imports as a policy. But Member (Mechanical) P N Garg said the foreign manufacturers had been quoting a very high price. They don’t have a problem if the railway PSUs import the wheels directly.

In fact, that is what Concor (Container Corporation) has been asked by the Railways. Garg said that they were also considering asking Bharat Earth Movers — who also manufacture wagons — to import wheels directly.

As of now, Railway engineers and officials are at their wits end to figure out a way to meet the increased demand for freight loading.

‘‘There is a requirement for more wagons because loading of freight is growing. Our fear is that we will have to stable about 40,000 wagons by the end of the year because of shortage of wheels,’’ an official said.

As of now, Railways have been running at least 5,000 wagons with wheels which should have been replaced. ‘‘We are going beyond the prescribed condemnation size of the wheels and prolonging their life by one year to run the wagons. It is a calculated risk that we are taking,’’ disclosed an official.

On the order for 20,000 wagons, which the Railways have already placed, the manufacturers are asking for the supply of wheels. ‘‘Wagon manufacture has already begun but they cannot supply them till they get the wheels. It’s a Catch-22 situation, it will also adversely affect freight loading next year,’’ he said.

But Garg dismisses these fears: reducing the condemnation size of wheels — to increase their life — will not affect the safety adversely. ‘‘We did it in 1993 when there was a shortage of wagons. Nothing adverse happened at that time,’’ he said.

He outlined other measures the Railways were taking to overcome the wheel shortage. In addition to asking Concor and Bharat Earth Movers to import wheels directly, they were trying to improve terminal management of the wagons. Both wheel manufacturers, Garg said, had assured Railways of enhancing their production by next year to meet the demand.