Railways set up first laundry unit in Kerala

Railways set up first laundry unit in Kerala

Mechanised unit to be commissioned by Suresh Prabhu later this month

Complaints of stained or torn bed sheets, blankets, face towels, and soiled pillows distributed in upper class coaches of long distance trains originating from the State will be a thing of the past. The first high-tech mechanised laundry of Railways in the State has been set up near the Kochuveli terminal in the capital city under the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) mode.

The laundry, which has come up in 10,000 sq ft of Railway land leased out to a private firm, is providing bedrolls to eight mail and express trains originating from Thiruvananthapuram Central, Kochuveli terminal, and Nagercoil on trial basis.

Sunil Bajpai, Divisional Railway Manager, told The Hindu that the unit would be commissioned during the forthcoming visit of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to the city later this month. The three-tonne capacity (per shift) automatic laundry involves steam wash and automatic drying, pressing and folding processes. The washer, dryer, and ironer have been imported from Sweden, and the folder from the Netherlands. Three hundred bedroll sets, each comprising two bed sheets, one pillow, and a face towel, weighing one kg, can be handled in a single shift.

Heavy washing is resorted to for removing stains and the steam from the boiler is used for drying and washing. Clean, pressed, and packaged linen in environment-friendly waterproof bags is made available to the linen room on platforms.

The Malappuram-based Orion Enterprises, which has developed the infrastructure at a cost of Rs.10 crore, runs the unit with 18 staff. An effluent treatment plant has also been set up at a cost of Rs.22 lakh to discharge the water from the unit as per Pollution Control Board norms. The venture, the second after Chennai in Southern Railways, is to keep off incompetent contractors and bring the laundry segment under Railways. Another laundry unit is to be set up in Ernakulam.

Source : The Hindu