Industry invited to make Unsolicited Proposals to address IR requirements
Shri Mahesh Gadakari, DEnHM/MDU – Southern Railway, Shri. Gokul S Valluthottam, DEnHM/TVC/SR, Shri. A.Devasahayam, CWM/TPYS/SCR, Mangala Chndaran, Editor in Chief, CIJ, Shri. P Balasundar, Chief Mechanical Engineer/ Planning, Southern Railway, Mohana M, Editor, CIJ
The Clean Rail Conference-Zonal Meet 2 (CRC-ZM2) held at the Radisson Blu, Chennai in June, focussing on the challenges and accomplishments of the Southern, South Central, South Eastern and South Western Railways, was yet another success.
CRC-ZM2 discussed major areas of concern – Onboard housekeeping, Workshop cleaning & maintenance, IoT-based solutions, Water and energy conservation, Linencare and Washroom hygiene. Experts from the cleaning industry and the Indian Railways elaborated solutions and processes that should be taken up at the micro and macro levels.
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The day-long highly interactive conference on “Efficient Cleaning & Maintenance Models for IR” was well-attended by 100 delegates from different cadres of the Railways. Setting the tone,
P Balasundar, Chief Mechanical Engineer/ Planning, Southern Railway in his keynote address enumerated the minute pitfalls in the day-to-day operations and the gaps that need to be filled for quality results. “On a daily basis Indian Railways requires about half million sets of washed linen per day in the AC coaches. This is the tip of the iceberg, because linen is currently being supplied only to passengers in AC coaches. Sooner or later, the potential to cater to passengers in non-AC coaches will also have to be addressed. This area will be a focus in the days to come.”
Speaking on the cleaning solutions, Balasundar emphasised the need for right chemicals in the coach washing plants. “Further, coach washing plants use huge amounts of water. We need good systems to recycle this for reuse. In fact, we need systems in place to clean coaches at the railway station within a short time interval.” Another major concern in the coaches is pest and “we require cost-effective, long-lasting solutions to keep pests away.”
On a futuristic note, Balasundar stated that the Railways owns vast areas of land. “Solar panels can be introduced, and the power generated can be used to for e-vehicles.”
Welcoming the cleaning industry, he said that “the industry can make Unsolicited Proposals (USPs) to address problems we face. These will be taken up and the proponent will get priority.”
The onboard housekeeping session was steered by Gokul S Valluthottam, DEnHM/TVC/SR, S Vanchinathan, Head Sales – SAARC, Buzil Rossari Pvt. Ltd and Harissh A.S., SSE/GOC Workshop/SR.
Dr Rachna Dave, Founder & CEO, MicroGO, briefed on the Real time Hygiene compliance data on screen and ACFT for Washrooms. While, Mahesh Gadakari, DEnHM/MDU – Southern Railway, shared a successful waste management model.
A practical solution for linencare was presented by Ajaykumar Nair, Head- Sales & CRM, ADD Laundry Concepts.
Following the sessions, Balasundar concluded that “the interactions we have had today will help us understand each other’s challenges and the solutions available to us. I must thank Clean India Journal for the effort that has been put into making such an event possible. All my expectations have been met.”
During interactions, as one of the delegates shared his vision of IR,
“We want look and feel like any Corporate facility.”
The Indian Railways, the world’s largest carrier of passengers, is taking major initiatives in providing clean and hygienic experiences to its users and commuters while transitioning into the new era which includes Air-conditioning trains and Vande Bharat projects.
The Indian Railways is looking at establishing Clean and Green Railways with newer technologies, solutions, and products for cleaning, waste, and linen care.
CRC-ZM2 is the third in the series of conference being organised by Clean India Journal and the Indian Railways to create awareness on the latest cleaning and facility maintenance technologies required on-board the train, platforms, and railway stations. The first meet was held in Delhi in 2022 that was attended by all the 19 zones of the Indian Railways, followed by CRC-ZM1 held in Mumbai for the Western and Central Railways.