VIJAYAWADA: The South Central Railway (SCR) has converted 486 non-AC sleeper coaches into isolation wards as part of its endeavour to combat spread of COVID-19, said SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Mallya said the Indian Railways has planned to convert 5,000 non-AC sleeper coaches across the country into isolation wards to treat the persons tested positive for coronavirus. Of the total, the SCR was entrusted with the task of converting 486 coaches into isolation wards.
In order to expedite the work, instructions were given to the officials concerned to procure the essential material from both Lallaguda and Tirupati workshops under the centralised requirement and advised to take up the task of conversion of coaches by all the six divisions and two workshops of zone.
“In a short span of time, the SCR has achieved its set target of converting 486 coaches into isolation wards by optimally utilising the available resources and manpower during the crisis.
Each isolation coach will have eight coupes for COVID-19 patients and one coupe for medical staff. Each coach has been modified to have one bathroom, three toilets and curtains in between the coupes and all the necessary electrical and medical equipment as per the advisory issued by the Railway Board,” the SCR GM said. Mallya appreciated the efforts of SCR officials, especially those of mechanical wing, for realising the set target of conversion of non-AC coaches into isolation wards within the reasonable time.