GUNTUR: For the first time, South Central Railway sent a Special Parcel Express (SPE) beyond Indian borders to Benapole in Bangladesh from Reddipalem in Guntur district.
Earlier, farmers and merchants in Guntur and surrounding areas used to transport dry red chilli in small quantities to Bangladesh by road at `7,000 per tonne. To overcome this problem, Guntur Railway Division under the guidance of SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya, has decided to run a Special Parcel Express to Bangladesh from Andhra Pradesh, to help local farmers and merchants.
It may be noted that it is mandatory for farmers and merchants to send quantity in bulk not less than 1,500 tonnes per trip in goods trains. But now under parcel express, quantity up to a maximum of 500 tonnes could be transported per trip.
Accordingly, one SPE comprising 16 parcel vans sent to Benapole in Bangladesh. Each parcel van was loaded with 466 bags of dry red chilli, weighing around 19.9 tonnes. The total weight is around 384 tonnes. The railways charged `4,608 per tonne, which is economical compared to road transport.
Appreciating the marketing efforts and initiative of Guntur Division staff, Mallya advised the farmers and merchants, who transport dry red chilli and other essentials, to utilise this facility for hassle-free transportation of goods.