Railways Making Arrangements to Transport Water for Drought-affected Latur

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has directed the railway administration to make necessary arrangements in this regard.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu (File|AFP)
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu (File|AFP)

NEW DELHI: Railways will transport water to the drought-affected Latur District in Maharashtra in the summers and is keeping two goods trains ready for the purpose.

Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has directed the railway administration to make necessary arrangements in this regard.

On a request from the Maharashtra Government and the Central Railway Zone, Railway Ministry has arranged two goods trains (rakes) consisting of 50 tanker like wagons each (BTPN Wagons) for the purpose of loading and transporting water in the drought-affected areas of Latur District.

The Kota workshop of Indian Railways has been directed to undertake steam cleaning of wagons for the purpose of loading drinking water.

 The two goods trains will be deployed in Pandharpur-Latur section of Solapur division (275 KM) for loading water. The first goods train consisting of 50 BTPN wagons will be ready for water loading after steam cleaning from Kota workshop on April 8.

The second goods train consisting of 50 wagons after steam-cleaning is expected to be ready for water loading around April 15.

These two rakes will be deployed in Latur during the summer season of the financial year 2016-17. The trips of the goods trains will be arranged as per the requirement.

The authorities in Latur have imposed an order prohibiting the gathering of more than five persons under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in areas around 20 water storage tanks until May 31 to avoid any possible violence over water.

The District Collector imposed the order as a preventive measure to tackle possible violence over water around the Latur civic body-run tanks.

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