Central Railway to review tender on machines

Mumbai: After failing to get any response from companies for installation of plastic bottle-crushing machines, the Central Railway (CR) now plans to review the terms and conditions of the tender.

In July, the CR had floated a tender for installation of 35 plastic bottle-crushing machines at 18 stations. Presently, two machines have been installed at CSMT, a third at Churchgate, and a fourth at Mumbai Central, by the Indian Railway Catering Tourism Corporation on a trial basis.

A senior official of the CR, requesting anonymity, said, “We had floated a tender worth Rs 2,869,226 per annum for 35 machines at 18 stations for five years. But nobody showed any interest in it.”

The tender was floated on July 4 and companies were allowed to make applications till 3.30pm on August 10. However, none of the companies showed willingness to install the machines.

According to the tender, the companies would have to install bottle-crushing machines and arrange for disposal of collected plastic at various stations. Additionally, the companies who won would be given the right of advertisement on the bottle-crushing machine for five years. Despite this offer, no company showed interest in installing the machines.

Asked about the plan now, the senior official said, “Bottle crushing is originally the responsibility of equipment makers but we want to help in doing away with bottle crushing on our premises. Moreover, we will consult with market players that are in the bottle-crushing business to review the tender’s terms and conditions.”