Telangana: Old rail coaches to house poor

Hyderabad: The Centre has decided to use condemned railway passenger coaches as shelters for the needy and the homeless. The Centre has asked states to specify the number of coaches required by it to house the homeless.

In a letter to the state government, Ms Archana Mittal, director in the ministry of housing, informed the state government that the railways had offered the condemned coaches to be used as shelters. The letter asked the state to specify the number of coaches required to provide temporary accommodation for the homeless in the state.

Urban local bodies are finding it difficult to get the land to build shelters for the needy within the city limits. In this context, the offer to convert the coaches, which are equipped with amenities like berths and toilets, as temporary shelter homes as come as a godsend.

The abandoned coaches can be refurbished with the funds from the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Livelihoods Mission (DAY NULM), with the approval by the concerned agencies, the letter noted.

Ms Mittal also said that disposal of waste, availability of water and other facilities must be available at the shelters.

The suggestion was originally made by then railway minister Suresh Prabhu to Mr Rajen Gohain, his junior partner in the ministry.

Mr Prabhu had liked the idea as the coaches were already equipped with berths and toilets. They could easily accommodate the needy by installing water connections and sewage facilities. He also said that these coaches can be shifted in case of natural calamities like floods.