Bengaluru: With a view to moving closer to plastic-free environment, the Indian Railways has decided to serve tea in kulhads in all railway stations.
It is to be noted that Union minister Piyush Goyal had made an announcement regarding this during the inauguration of the Digawara railway station in Rajasthan's Alwar district late last month.
It is also important to note that this initiative aims to generate further employment. However, the government will have to tackle the hygiene concerns that arise with the recycling of these ‘kulhads’.
Money Control quoted managing partner of BOD Consulting, Saurabh Uboweja as saying, “The big motive behind this move is to reduce plastic usage. One of the big challenges that India is facing is moving towards sustainable packaging and sustainable serving solutions. The Indian Railways sees huge consumption of food products by passengers on a daily basis, and it is a very positive move by Piyush Goyal.”
Uboweja further added, “This time I hope it is going to be an irreplaceable change as it will also create many employment opportunities. But there are concerns related to hygiene as there are chances that they (kulhads) may be recycled.”
This project was initially launched 16 years ago during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as the Railways Minister. Even ‘lassi’ was served in ‘kulhads’ at some places at that point in time. However, ineffective implementation prevented the widespread application of this practice. As of now, tea is served in ‘kulhads’ in around 400 railway stations in the country.