From Vizag to Basti: Rail wagon takes 3 yrs, 8 months!
LUCKNOW:In a dubious record set by the Indian Railways, they booked a consignment on November 10, 2014 but delivered it only on July 25, 2018 -- a full three years and eight months later.
For the records, the fertilizerloaded wagon booked in Visakhapatnam for delivery in Basti covered the distance of around 1,300 kilometres in almost four years, said UP-based trader Manoj Kumar Gupta, who had lost all hope of getting the compost worth Rs 10 lakh.
“While I had booked 21 wagons of compost, only 20 reached my destination in time. However, one of the wagons presumably lost track forcing me to approach the railways for compensation,” said Gupta, who was handed over his consignment of 1,236 sacks of composts three days back, on Wednesday.
“After running from pillar to post for months, I lost hope and gave up the search to concentrate on my business,” said Gupta.
The wagon bearing number ‘107462’ was booked by a company Indian Potash Limited (IPL), confirmed officials of North Eastern Railways (NER).
“The goods were fortunately found to be safe and has been handed over to the consignee. An enquiry has been ordered into the delay,” said Sanjay Yadav, chief public relation officer (CPRO), NER, the railway zone that owns the wagon.
“The wagon was lost in transit. When the matter came to light recently, we launched an exercise to trace it,” said Yadav, while also blaming Gupta for the delay.
“The consignee never tried to track the goods and hence it remained missing for so many months,” said Yadav while insisting that the wagon was lying unattended in a yard at Vishakhapatnam itself.
“Possibly, the wagon was detached from the goods train as it may have been declared sick (unfit to ferry). But due to the apathy of officials, the wagon was left unreported,” he said.