Early Times Report
NEW DELHI, June 30: The Railway Board has expressed serious concern over the zones selling metal scrap instead of sending it to wheel manufacturing factories, posing a risk of disruption to wheel production targets in 2026-27. The Board, in its previous circulars in 2007 and 2008, had directed all zones to stop the sale of heavy melting scrap (HMS), condemned axles and the like, and to send these materials exclusively to the two wheel-manufacturing factories - Rail Wheel Factory (RWF), Yelahanka, Karnataka; and Rail Wheel Plant (RWP), Bela, Bihar - for the production of wheels and axles.
In a recent letter dated June 17, the Board assigned targets to each zone for the supply of scrap material based on the estimated quantity generated over a period of time, to be dispatched to the two manufacturing units.
"However, it has been observed that some Zonal Railways are still disposing of HMS, including wheelsets, through e-auction sales. Additionally, certain railways are not reclaiming wheelsets during the condemnation and disposal of diesel and electric locomotives," the Board said in a letter dated June 29, addressed to the principal chief materials managers of all zonal railways.
"It must be appreciated that HMS is the primary raw material for wheel production at both RWF (Bengaluru) and RWP (Bela). Any shortage of this critical scrap material will directly disrupt and halt wheel-manufacturing operations at these vital production units," it added.
Officials said that wheels are manufactured at these factories using scrap components received regularly from various zones, and no material is procured from outside, as the scrap generated within the Railways is sufficient to meet annual production requirements. |
