No orders from top on freight fee: Official

“Every consignment sent by a train has a hauling charge. Waiving the hauling/freight charge is a policy decision that can be taken only in New Delhi. The instructions should come from the ministry or Railway Board. We have not received even any proposal or instruction from the ministry or board so far,” a highly placed SR officer requesting anonymity told DT Next.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday wrote to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal requesting him to waive freight charges for relief materials transported to the Delta districts ravaged by Cyclone Gaja.

Earlier, SR had waived freight charges to transport relief materials during Kerala floods. “Even during Kerala floods, the waiver order came from the Railway Board. Waiver of freight charges cannot be decided at the zonal level,” the SR officer added. The state transport department has already announced free transit of relief materials on its buses. Waiver of the railway freight charges could be a real relief to the cyclone-hit people given that the trains operated from the state headquarters could reach the delta districts in half a day and that too in bulk consignments.