Onion Relief On Track: Kanda Express Rolls Out For Delhi From Lasalgaon Carrying 450 MT After Delay

A special goods train carrying around 450 metric tonnes (MT) of onions left for Delhi from Lasalgaon, Asia's largest wholesale market for the commodity in Maharashtra's Nashik district, on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

After some delay, the 21-bogie 'Kanda (Onion) Express left for the national capital at around 3.10 pm. The train, expected to reach its destination on late Thursday, was arranged as per directives of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, as part of efforts to control the rising prices of the vital kitchen staple in Delhi markets.

The Union government has decided to send 840 MT of onions to Delhi from the buffer stock purchased under the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) to provide relief to urban consumers.

Accordingly, the train arrived at Lasalgaon railway station at around 11.50 pm on Monday (August 24). As per the planning by the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), the train was expected to leave for Delhi at around 7 am on Tuesday (August 25). However, as the work of packing the onions in sacks could not be completed in time, there was a delay in loading the train.

At last, instead of 840 MT, around 450 MT of onions were loaded in the freight train and it left for Delhi at around 3.10 pm.

"Around 450 MT of onions are being taken to Delhi by the Kanda Express (onions are called ‘kanda’ in Marathi). It will reach Adarshnagar, a station near Delhi. We are making efforts to ensure the train reaches its destination as soon as possible so that the people of Delhi get some relief," said Pritesh Dubey, station manager, Lasalgaon.

Generally, it takes 22 to 24 hours for a mail or express train to reach Delhi (from Nashik). However, as it's a goods train it will take some more time, he added.

Meanwhile, Prahar Janshakti Party north Maharashtra chief Ganesh Nimbalkar and other activists sat on Railway tracks and stopped the departure of the train for around 45 minutes, protesting the transport of onions from Lasalgaon, a core trading hub for the crop.

However, police intervened and detained the protesting activists, allowing the train to leave for its destination.