Key Points:
- At present, Varanasi and Rae Bareli railway stations are already using terracotta products for catering.
- This initiative will be the contribution of the Railways towards a plastic-free India, Piyush Goyal said.
Jaipur: Tea will be sold in environment-friendly ‘kulhads’ (earthen cups) in place of plastic cups at all railway stations in the country, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.
The North Western Railway zone has directed its officers to implement measures for ensuring the use of green catering products at Indian Railways stations. Thus, now 25 more railway stations would be serving tea and other food items in eco-friendly Kulhads and plates/bowls, according to a PTI report.
These stations are Bikaner, Sirsa, Shri Ganganagar, Hisar, Churu, Suratgarh, Jodhpur, Bhiwani, Hanumangarh, Pali, Ajmer, Udaipur, Barmer, Nagpur, Luni, Jaipur, Jhunjhuna, Jaisalmer, Bhagat Ki Kothi, Dausa, Gandhi Nagar, Durgapura, Sikar, Sirohi Road, and Abu Road stations.
At present, Varanasi and Rae Bareli railway stations are already using terracotta products for catering.
The minister was speaking at an event organised at the Dhigawara railway station in Rajasthan’s Alwar district to mark the inauguration of the newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui section under the North Western Railway.
The national transporter has decided to use them at as many as 400 railway stations across the country. A few months ago it was reported that to cater to increasing demand for kulhads, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) was directed to provide equipment for large-scale production of kulhads.
This initiative will be the contribution of the Railways towards a plastic-free India, Goyal said.
“Tea is given in ‘kulhad’ at nearly 400 railway stations in the country today, and in future, it is our planning that tea will be sold only in kulhads at all railway stations in the country. This will be the contribution of Railways towards plastic-free India,” he said.
Kulhads save the environment and lakhs of people can get employment from it, Goyal added.
