240 isolation coaches deployed in 4 states
NEW DELHI: The Railways has deployed 204 isolation coaches in four states, including 54 at Delhi’s Shakurbasti railway station maintenance depot, officials said, adding that the number in the capital will be scaled up to 500 in the coming days.
Home Minister Amit Shah earlier Sunday had said the Centre would provide 500 such coaches to Delhi to overcome the shortage of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.
States like Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi requisitioned these coaches two months after the national transporter converted over 5,000 of its non-air conditioned coaches into COVID care centres.
Seventy coaches have been deployed in Uttar Pradesh -- 10 each in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Faizabad, Saharanpur, Mirzapur and Jhansi. Fifty-four have been deployed at Shakurbasti maintenance depot in Delhi.
Sixty coaches have been deployed in Telangana -- 20 each in Secunderabad, Kachguda and Adilabad and 20 coaches in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada.
While Uttar Pradesh has asked for 240 such coaches for 24 locations, Telangana has requisitioned 60 for three places and Delhi has asked for 10 such coaches as COVID-19 cases in India surpassed the three lakhmark.
The first batch of 10 coaches with a total capacity of 160 beds were deployed at Shakurbasti station in Delhi on May 31. Now another 44 coaches have been deployed.
According to an integrated COVID plan developed by the Health Ministry and the NITI Aayog, these coaches can be used in areas where the state has exhausted the facilities and needs to augment capacities for isolation of suspected and confirmed cases.
The coaches have necessary medical equipment such as oxygen cylinders, blankets, medical supplies, sterilized berths for the safety and convenience of the individuals placed in isolation.
The coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the coronavirus care centres, according to the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. The composition of the rakes will be decided as per the requirement of a state.