GUWAHATI, June 12 - A total of 20 stations in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone have been identified for placement of COVID Care Centres.
�Sustaining the fight against Covid-19, the Indian Railways is making an all-out effort to supplement the healthcare efforts of the Government of India. The Indian Railways has geared up to provide its 5,231 COVID Care Centres to the states. The Zonal Railways has converted these coaches for quarantine facilities. The coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the COVID Care Centres as per guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW),� said Subhanan Chanda, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR.
�These coaches can be used in areas where the concerned state has exhausted the facilities and needs to augment capacities for isolation of both suspects and confirmed COVID cases. These facilities are part of the integrated COVID plan developed by the MoHFW and the NITI Aayog,� Chanda added.
He said that as per the guidelines of MoHFW, the state governments have to send the requisition to the Railways.
�Railways will make the allocation of these coaches to the concerned state or Union Territory. A total of 60 coaches have already been requisitioned in Telangana for Secunderabad, Kachiguda and Adilabad locations, and 10 coaches have been requisitioned in Delhi,� he said.
He added, �In the NFR area, 315 such coaches are ready for placement 20 nominated stations � Guwahati, Kamakhya, Dibrugarh, New Tinsukia, Rangapara North, Rangiya, Silchar, Mariani, Lumding, New Bongaigaon, Murkongselek, Agartala, Alipurduar Junction, Ambasa, Badarpur, Katihar, New Cooch Behar, New Jalpaiguri, New Alipurduar and Siliguri � as and when such requests are received.�
Meanwhile, sources said that due to the rising number of COVID-positive cases across the country and the shortage of hospital beds, the demand for use of COVID Care Centres set up by the Railways is expected to go up in the days to come.
