After locals opposed to loading of onions from Kherwadi railway station falling under the Bhusawal division of Central railways, the railways for the first time started exporting Onions from Nashik Road railway station. Around 1,700 tonne of onions has been exported from the city to Bangladesh’s Darsana railway station.
“After having sent three rakes of onion last week, another rake of onion was to be started from Kherwadi on Monday (11th May 2020), but the villagers objected to the same. Hence, a decision to load the rake with 1,700 tonne of onions from Nashik Road railway station was taken,” railway sources said. The villagers of Kherwadi adopted a resolution saying that due to the Covid-19 outbreak they are against the loading of onions being brought in by trucks from various areas.
The railway authorities tried to convince the locals saying the trucks were completely sanitized before entering the railway station. Besides the route the trucks took to arrive at the station had nothing to do with the villagers as it was a route that passed from the outskirts of the village. After the villagers refused to change their stand, the railway authorities decided to load the onion from Nashik Road Railway station.
Trucks carrying onions were brought to Nashik Road railway station on the Tuesday evening. “As the villagers continued to oppose the transportation, it was sure that the farmers who were being benefitted due to export would lose their income. So, the railways and the traders jointly decided that the transportation be carried out from Nashik Road railway station,” a railway official said.
“Generally, Nashik Road railway station is involved in transporting industrial goods to and from Nashik city. For the first time we sent have sent onions from here. This was in the interest of the farmers. We request all the people to cooperate with the railways and traders during the current challenging times,” SK Sharma, senior divisional commercial manager of Nashik Road railway station, said.