Railways makes special arrangements to transport litchi

Patna: Railways has made elaborate arrangements for transporting the world-famous GI-tagged Muzaffarpur litchi to various destinations across the country from different places under the Samastipur division of the East Central Railway (ECR).According to Samastipur divisional railway manager (DRM) Jyoti Prakash Mishra, the railways loaded a record 228.41 quintals of litchi in 1,862 packets, generating revenue of Rs 1.58 lakh on Wednesday alone. However, about 39,439 quintals of litchi have been transported from the division so far.“The litchi consignments are being booked from Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Samastipur stations at special counters by mail or express trains . A dedicated nodal officer has also been deployed to coordinate with farmers and businessmen and assist them in the booking process,” the DRM said.A special parcel van attached to the Jayanagar-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai) Pawan Express is being utilised for the safe and speedy transportation of litchis to major markets in Mumbai. “However, railways has been transporting litchi to other places like Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Jamshedpur, Bengaluru and other places from the division,” Mishra said.Samastipur senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) Ananya Smirti said the railways has ensured that litchi consignments are dispatched the same day to their destinations. “Muzaffarpur station has an exclusive point for loading litchi consignments,” she said, adding that the arrangements would enable traders to dispatch fresh produce quickly to distant markets while maintaining its quality.The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to support farmers and promote agricultural produce from Bihar. “The special transportation facilities are expected to help growers secure better prices by ensuring timely delivery of the fruit to major consumption centres across the country,” Smirti said.The Muzaffarpur litchi, renowned for its unique sweetness, aroma and quality, received the geographical indication (GI) tag in 2018 and enjoys strong demand in domestic as well as international markets. Railways dedicated logistics support is expected to provide a major boost to the marketing of the fruit during the current season, Samastipur PRO R K Singh said.