PRAYAGRAJ: After a wait of about two years, passengers travelling in air-conditioned coaches of New Delhi bound Prayagraj Expresson Friday night, were provided with the much-awaited facility of linen and blankets on their berths.
Along with this, curtains were also provided in the AC coaches for the privacy of the passengers.
The facility, which would soon be provided in all the seven trains originating from Prayagraj Junction of Prayagraj division, was restarted again following the instructions of the Railway Board. The provision was discontinued in the trains due to covid-19 outbreak since March 21,2020.
After imposing the ban on providing the facility in AC coaches, passengers had no other option but to carry their own bedsheet, pillow, quilt etc to make their journey comfortable.
“On getting the instructions from the Railway Board (dated March 10), the facility was immediately restored in the most reputed train of the division-Prayagraj Express. In the days to come, the same would be provided in all the other trains which were catered by the division prior to March 21, 2020,” said public relation officer of Prayagraj division, Amit Kumar Singh.
However, sources inform that the decision of board was taken without any prior information to the division or zonal level. As the facility was stooped overnight after lockdown (in March 2020), the entire stock of linen, blankets, pillow and its cover and towel were dumped in the mechanised laundry of the division.
The laundry, located at the Railway colony near chowk, has the capacity of providing around 18,000 linens per day, along with around 7,000 blankets and around the same numbers of pillows. There are three washing machines at the facility, each of 150 kg of washing load. Besides, there are two calendaring machines, a huge 60kg capacity tumbler and one dry cleaner. Prior to closing the facility in March 2020, a staff of around 60 persons used to work here, most of them being women.
However, since the facility remained non-operational for two years, not only the outsourced workforce has to be brought back but also the damage of linen, blankets, pillow etc has to be ascertained as the same was piled in the laundry..
Along with this, curtains were also provided in the AC coaches for the privacy of the passengers.
The facility, which would soon be provided in all the seven trains originating from Prayagraj Junction of Prayagraj division, was restarted again following the instructions of the Railway Board. The provision was discontinued in the trains due to covid-19 outbreak since March 21,2020.
After imposing the ban on providing the facility in AC coaches, passengers had no other option but to carry their own bedsheet, pillow, quilt etc to make their journey comfortable.
“On getting the instructions from the Railway Board (dated March 10), the facility was immediately restored in the most reputed train of the division-Prayagraj Express. In the days to come, the same would be provided in all the other trains which were catered by the division prior to March 21, 2020,” said public relation officer of Prayagraj division, Amit Kumar Singh.
However, sources inform that the decision of board was taken without any prior information to the division or zonal level. As the facility was stooped overnight after lockdown (in March 2020), the entire stock of linen, blankets, pillow and its cover and towel were dumped in the mechanised laundry of the division.
The laundry, located at the Railway colony near chowk, has the capacity of providing around 18,000 linens per day, along with around 7,000 blankets and around the same numbers of pillows. There are three washing machines at the facility, each of 150 kg of washing load. Besides, there are two calendaring machines, a huge 60kg capacity tumbler and one dry cleaner. Prior to closing the facility in March 2020, a staff of around 60 persons used to work here, most of them being women.
However, since the facility remained non-operational for two years, not only the outsourced workforce has to be brought back but also the damage of linen, blankets, pillow etc has to be ascertained as the same was piled in the laundry..