The Indian Railways is aiming to earn Rs 5,400 crore from scrap sale in fiscal 2024-25. This is 3.8% higher than the Rs 5,200 crore scrap sale target set for fiscal 2023-24.
“Action Plan may be prepared to achieve the scrap sale target. Further, Railways and its production units should maintain a target of zero scrap balance and there should be no fresh arising of more than two months old,” a Railway Board order said.
Northern Railways, which registered a record high scrap sale of Rs 514.06 crore in fiscal 2023-24 has been tasked to rake in Rs 530 crore in the current year.
Generation and sale of unserviceable or scrap railway material is an ongoing process. In construction projects, scrap is normally generated in Gauge Conversion projects. Released Permanent Way items being offered for scrap are not reusable on track.
Scrap consists of Rails and P-Way materials, such as Sleepers, Fixtures, and Fastenings, fish plates, Condemned coaches, Locomotives, and Wagons, among others.
Besides this, different types of ferrous scrap, bogies, bogie frames, couplers, empties, turnings, and borings, cut odds and ends of metal, sweepings, which accumulates in Railway Workshops are sold as scrap.
Used batteries, electrical items like fans, unserviceable compressors, motor generators, tube light fittings, and nonferrous materials also comprise Railway scrap.
