Railway to build wagons in Kerala: Industries Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (UNI) Kerala Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem today said the Indian Railway was planning to build wagons in the state jointly with Autocast and SILK, both PSUs.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said the Railway Officials who arrived in the state to discuss the issue with Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, Industries Minister and PSUs representatives, would submit a report to the Railway Board in two days.

The MoU would be signed after detailed discussions with the Railways by the Government representatives, Mr Kareem said.

After signing the MoU, the government would appoint an expert agency for preparing a detailed project report.

The Railways proposed to build wagons with light weight and more strength using modern technology. It had also decided to invite global tenders to acquire foreign know how in this regard.

As the Railways proposed to construct separate tracks for movement of cargo, the demand for wagons would increase, he said.

The Railways proposed to set up four wagon building units in the country as around 2,500 wagons were required each year to meet the growing demand. Indications available suggest Kerala would get the first priority for setting up the unit, Mr Kareem said.

Autocast and SILK had expressed willingness to make coupler and draft gear for the Railways using modern technology.

The delegation included Railway Board Executive Director V K Pancha, South Western Railway Chief Chief Mechanical Engineer N K Jawa and Railway Board Expenditure Director Sanjay Lavanya.

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