Kolkata, June 18 (IANS) In a major initiative, the railways have decided to transport large quantities of fly ash from thermal power plants to factories that use it as a raw material in specially designed wagons.

Such movement will not only be cheaper but also more environmentally friendly than road transport. This initiative will help reduce prices of cement, blocks and bricks used in the housing sector.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Ministers of State for Railways V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu were also present.

Fly ash, a waste material from thermal power plants, is used to manufacture cement, concrete blocks, bricks, and build roads, thereby supporting infrastructure development across the country.

According to a statement, nearly 340 million tonnes of fly ash are generated annually by thermal power plants. While some of it is transported by road and some is moved to Bangladesh in barges, most of it remains at the power plants, which struggle to dispose of the polluting material.

The statement said the railways are now creating a dedicated logistics network of specialised containers and rail corridors to transport the waste material from where it is generated to where it is needed.

It added: “The beauty of this initiative lies in its simplicity: what the power plant discards, the cement plant treasures. Fly ash, rightly moved and rightly used, is a raw material for cement, concrete, blocks and boards. More affordable fly ash means cheaper bricks, lower cement prices, and ultimately more accessible housing across urban and rural India alike.”

The railways will utilise special wagons that can be loaded from the top directly at the power plants and then sealed. At the factories, these special tipper wagons can be unloaded from the back.

“Contained within rail wagons and purpose-built logistics systems, fly ash travels cleanly, arriving not as a pollutant but as a productive participant in India’s infrastructure story,” the statement said.

–IANS

jb/dan