more-in Moving forward in its eco-friendly initiatives, the Golden Rock Railway Workshop here will soon deploy pollution free e-cart to transport low density organic waste generated within its sprawling premises. The Environmental and Housekeeping Wing of the Southern Railway has accorded sanction for the procurement of one e-cart to start with for the workshop which is engaged in a myriad of activities. Consequent to the nod, the process of procuring an e-cart, a customised battery operated four-wheeler, at a cost of ? 1.65 lakh has been set in motion. The e-cart will be able to transport at a time about 720 kg of low density organic waste generated within the workshop that is involved in periodic overhaul of diesel locomotives and passenger coaches. The green vehicle would be deployed within two months, said a senior workshop official. Depending on its performance and the feedback, more such e-carts would be procured. At present, organise waste was being transported through conventional tractor trailers. The e-cart would transport organic waste collected from various locations and dump them near the vermi-compost yard established inside. The workshop has been utilising organic waste generated to the extent of nearly 100 kg to 150 kg per day for bio-gas and in the manufacture of vermi-compost and fuel briquette, the official said. Overhauling over 100 diesel locomotives and 1,000 passenger coaches every year, the over 85-year-old premier workshop of the Indian Railway also manufactures container wagons for Container Corporation of India besides producing wagons meant for railway use and overhauling steam locomotives operated in Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Laying thrust on eco-friendly measures, the workshop has already created recycling facility to reuse treated water for component cleaning and other purposes. This has been done to save precious fresh water and achieve 'Zero Water Discharge'. It has also found a scientific way for the safe disposal of zero-value non-hazardous waste by transporting them to a private cement major in neighbouring Ariyalur district for use in cement kilns after signing a memorandum of understanding. The plan was to transport 5,000 tonnes of piled up zero-value non-hazardous waste to the cement factory within a year. Besides, an artificial pond has been created inside the nearly 200-acre workshop premises inside which some rainwater harvesting wells have also been constructed to recharge groundwater table.

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