Perhaps one of the most iconic moments in football history was commemorated when 13-year-old football legend Lionel Messi signed an unofficial contract on a napkin to FC Barcelona, and the rest as we know is history.
A somewhat similar situation occurred when Kolkata-based entrepreneur Akshay Satnaliwala pitched a business proposal on a tissue paper to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during a flight that caught the railway administration’s attention in no time.
On February 2, 2024, the entrepreneur was on a flight from Delhi to Kolkata, and while onboard he seized the opportunity to hand over his simple plea for assistance in the railways waste management process to Ashwini Vaishnaw.
On a scribbled napkin Satnaliwala said, “Sir, if you allow, I would like to present how railways can be an integral part in the supply chain of AFR (alternative fuel and raw material) to cement plants and also contribute to our Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan,”
His initiative was met with a swift and positive response as within just six minutes of landing the flight at Kolkata, Satnaliwala received a call from the General Manager at Eastern Railway Headquarters Milind K Deouskar. The call resulted in arranging a meeting to discuss the freight prospects from Satnaliwala’s organization.
A good deed deal
Recently, Eastern Railway spokesperson Kaushik Mitra mentioned that Akshay Satnaliwala, who is a director of a solid waste management company in West Bengal, delineated the schematic flow of solid waste to various industries with prospective buyers in different parts of the country like Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Rajgangpur in Odisha and other clusters through the railways.
“Such bulk quantity transport of solid and plastic waste through the railway route will not only be beneficial for the company but will help in recycling of waste thereby reducing pollution at the same time,” Mitra stated.
Responding to the business proposals, the Kolkata-based entrepreneur offered a cheaper mode of transportation for carrying solid and other waste through the railway route in a flexible mode.
Further, Satnaliwala was asked by senior ER officials to submit a proposal for a station-to-station rate facility with a commitment to traffic movement, Mitra said.