In an environment-friendly move, as many as 14 States or Union Territories have been electrified by the Indian Railways as of June 30, 2023. According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Railways, 59,096 Route kilometres (RKM) of Broad Gauge network of Indian Railways (IR) have been electrified as of last month. Out of these, 37,011 RKM have been electrified during the past nine years only.
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, on Wednesday, Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that various steps have been taken by the Indian Railways for the timely completion of railway electrification work, such as the formation of Project Monitoring Group. However, sometimes, there is some delay in getting statutory clearances required for the execution of electrification works.
“For timely completion of railway electrification work, various steps have been taken by Indian Railways which include among others; formation of Project Monitoring Group (PMG) portal to resolve the constraint being faced during commissioning, creation of Gati Shakti Directorate in Railway Board for smooth and speedy approval of projects at Railway Board level and ensuring effective project monitoring mechanism,” he said.
“Existing Broad Gauge network falling in Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Delhi, Odisha, Haryana, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, J&K, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand have been 100% electrified,” he added.
Vaishanw also added that in Bihar and Gujarat, 3,614 Route kilometres (RKM) out of 3,710 RKM and 3,435 RKM out of 3,862 RKM have been completed respectively.
Indian Railways set to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030
Moreover, the Indian Railways is also dedicated towards reducing its carbon emissions and has aimed to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030.
“Indian Railways (IR) has aimed to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030. IR has taken several initiatives to reduce its carbon emissions which include the use of energy-efficient technologies like completely switching over to the production of three-phase electric locomotives with regenerative features, use of head-on generation (HOG) technology, use of LED lights in buildings and coaches, star rated appliances, water conservation and its management and afforestation,” he said.
“Further, the key strategies that have been identified for achieving the Net Zero Carbon emission target are procurement of power through renewable energy sources; shifting from diesel to electric traction; promotion of energy efficiency; and afforestation,” he added.
‘No proposal to privatise Indian Railways’
The Minister of Railways quashed all speculations regarding the privatization of the Indian Railways and clarified the government’s stance on the matter, putting to rest any rumors and concerns among the public.
Furthermore, The Minister emphasized that the government is committed to maintaining and and improving the quality of services provided by Indian Railways.
(With inputs from ANI)