Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday had announced 500 isolation ward coaches for 8,000 Covid-19 patients in Delhi. The Indian Railways is all geared up to provide 250 coaches as the Covid-19 care ward in Delhi by Tuesday evening.
The Indian Railways, which suspended passenger train services from March 25 to combat the Covid-19 spread, has prepared 5,231 isolation ward coaches that are equipped with all medical facilities required for coronavirus cases.
Speaking to IANS on Monday, Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said, “We have stationed 54 isolation ward coaches at Shakur Basti railway station. By Tuesday evening, 170-180 isolation ward coaches will be stationed at Anand Vihar station.”
Twenty isolation ward coaches would be placed at the stations decided by the Delhi government, he added.
The remaining 250 isolation ward coaches would be stationed as per the AAP government’s requisition.
On Sunday, the railways decided to shift from Tuesday all the five pair of train services that started on June 1 from Anand Vihar to the Old Delhi station to place isolation ward coaches.
On Sunday, the railways also said it had deployed 204 such coaches in four states.
According to Railway Ministry officials, states, like UP, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, had requisitioned these coaches two months after 5,231 non-air-conditioned coaches were converted into Covid care centres.
While 70 such coaches have been deployed in UP — 10 each in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Faizabad, Saharanpur, Mirzapur and Jhansi, 60 coaches have been deployed in Telangana — 20 each in Secunderabad, Kachguda and Adilabad. 20 coaches have been stationed at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
While UP had asked for 240 such coaches for 24 stations, Telangana had requisitioned 60 for three places and Delhi 10 such coaches.
On May 7, the Union Health Ministry had said train coaches would be converted into coronavirus care centres and parked at 215 stations as part of preparations for any spurt in Covid-19 cases.
According to the Railway Ministry, these coaches can be used in areas where the state governments have exhausted the facilities and need to augment capacities for isolation of both suspects and confirmed Covid-19 cases.
Of these 215 stations, the railways will provide healthcare facilities at 85 stations. “At the rest 130 stations, states could requisition Covid-19 care coaches only if they would be able to provide staff and essential medicines,” he said.
The railways have kept 158 stations ready with watering and charging facility, and 57 stations with watering facility for the Covid-19 care centres.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the country crossed the 3.2 lakh mark with 9,195 fatalities.
