The Centre has deployed 960 Covid isolation coaches across five states - Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh - amid rising demand from the federal units as India’s total positive cases cross 3.5 lakh.
Out of the total 960 coaches, 503 Covid Care coaches have been deployed in Delhi alone, 20 in Andhra Pradesh, 60 in Telangana, 372 in Uttar Pradesh and 5 in Madhya Pradesh.
The 503 have been deployed in Delhi alone across nine stations. Fifty Covid Care coaches are deployed at Shakurbasti station, 267 at Anand Vihar, 21 at Delhi Safdarjung, 50 at Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 33 at Delhi Cantt, 30 at Adarsh Nagar, 13 at Delhi Shahdara, 13 at Tughlakabad and 26 at Patel Nagar station, officials said.
In Uttar Pradesh, total 372 Covid Care coaches have been deployed at 23 different locations: Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn., Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Faizabad, Saharanpur, Mirzapur, Subedarganj, Kanpur, Jhansi, Jhansi Workshop, Agra, Nakha Jungle, Gonda, Nautanwa, Bahraich, Varanasi City, Manduadih, Mau, Bhatni, Bareilly City, Farrukhabad and Kasganj.
“The Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has visited today and reviewed the coaches. They are seriously considering it and will inform us on the patients once the demand arises,” said Rajiv Chaudhary, General Manager, Northern Railways said. Thus far no patient has been admitted, he added.
{{/usCountry}}“The Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has visited today and reviewed the coaches. They are seriously considering it and will inform us on the patients once the demand arises,” said Rajiv Chaudhary, General Manager, Northern Railways said. Thus far no patient has been admitted, he added.
{{/usCountry}}In Madhya Pradesh, 5 coaches are deployed at Gwalior. In Andhra Pradesh, total 20 Covid Care coaches are deployed at Vijayawada while in Telangana, a total of 60 Covid Care coaches are deployed at three different locations: Secunderabad, Kachguda and Adilabad.
The isolation coaches will be under the complete care of the chief medical officer of the state government in the states where they will be deployed. Doctors and paramedics are to be provided by the state governments as per Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the health ministry, the railway ministry said adding that railways will deploy two liaison officers for each location of coaches to assist state government officials.
“It is worth mentioning that Indian Railways is working as a service provider of coaches to Covid Care Centres as its contribution to national cause. Doctors and paramedics are to be provided by the state governments…All efforts are being made to reduce the heat in the coaches in the given weather conditions. Railways to assist the state government in all possible manners to help in care of Covid patients,” the ministry said.
It may be noted that these coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the Covid Care centers as per guidelines issued by the health ministry, it added. These coaches can be used in areas where the state has exhausted the facilities and needs to augment capacities for isolation of both suspect and confirmed Covid cases.
The first such Covid Care Centre was deployed at Shakur Basti railway station in New Delhi on May 31 consisting of 10 non-AC coaches with 160 beds and three AC coaches, for healthcare staffers, including doctors.
The demand for the special coaches has come nearly two months after they were prepared. Trains with a composition of 10 coaches and patient capacity of 16 people have been made ready by the railways. A total of 5,231 coaches were modified to be used as Covid Care Centres.
The Centre in May had drafted a plan to deploy 5,231 railway coaches as isolation wards across 215 stations in 15 states considering the possibility of an increase in cases of Covid-19.
The railway board had written to zones in May seeking to take back 60% of the Covid-19 coaches to be utilised as Shramik Special trains.