The finance ministry has clarified that the Coronavirus can be classified as a natural calamity and the Force Majeure clause may be invoked.
As per the finance ministry, a ‘force majeure’ means extraordinary events or circumstances beyond human control such as an event described as an Act of God (as a natural calamity).
Accordingly, The Indian Railways has relaxed freight charges, considering the lockdown period as ‘force majeure’, and is loading an average 25,000 wagons each day with essential commodities, as the national transporter looks to maintain the stability of freight operations in the country.
During this period no demurrage, wharfage, stacking, stabling, detention, and ground usage charge shall be levied. As per the Railways communication, Around 1.6 lakh wagons have carried supplies and over one lakh of these with essential commodities on the Indian Railways network over the last four days.
While all passenger trains services of the Indian Railways remain non-operational amid the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, freight trains are running to ensure supplies that supplies of essential commodities particularly, are not interrupted.
Some Datasets
Around 25,000 wagons are being loaded daily on an average with essential commodities like food grains, salt, edible oil, sugar, milk, fruits, and vegetables,
An average 20,000 wagons of coal and 1,700 wagons of petroleum products are being loaded every day. To monitor the uninterrupted movement of essential commodities over the Indian Railway system, emergency freight control is working in the ministry and freight movement is being closely monitored.