In a boost to Rail Wheel Plant, the Railways PSU, has bagged a bumper order of manufacturing 24,000 wheels from Container Corporation of India (Concor) at an estimated cost of over Rs 258 crore.
According to the order placed this month by the Concor, a multi-modal logistic company, the Rail Wheel Plant at Bela near Patna in Bihar would produce 24,000 wheels/wheel discs for 25 ton axle load wagons.
The total order would cost the Concor Rs 2,582,928,000 and the RWP at Bela would deliver 8,000 wheels in a year for three years.
The wheel order move assumes significance as there is a plan by the government for the divestment of the Concor.
According to the sources, there is a delay in the government plan for Concor divestment due to various reasons.
However, the Concor order to RWP would definitely be significant boost for the plant in Bihar. At present, this plant is producing 30,000 wheels per year and expected to go upto 50,000 per annum shortly.
The state-of-the-art wheel plant works on American technology from Griffin, which has now been fully absorbed by engineers working in the plant.
During the Covid crisis, RWP Bela was the only source of liquid oxygen in north Bihar. The plant stopped its production so that precious oxygen was preserved for use in ICUs of various hospitals.
About 29 tonne of liquid oxygen was offered to the Bihar government free of cost in the interest of suffering citizens.