Delhi's Anand Vihar station to receive ~150 Covid isolation coaches; assessment underway

Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, a significant meeting was held on Sunday between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This meeting also saw the presence of the state Education Minister Manish Sisodia and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. Among the key highlights were the aggressive ramping of tests and strict augmentation of health infrastructure.

To strengthen the battle against the deadly Coronavirus, the Centre also announced that 500 railway coaches will be dedicated to the national capital to beat the shortage of beds. These coaches will be converted to isolation beds which will add 8000 more beds to the existing capacity available for the patients in Delhi, which is somewhat over 10,000 beds at present.

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Anand Vihar railway station is likely to get the most amount of such coaches which will cater to mild COVID-19 cases. The station will stop its operations from Tuesday and will have its 5 trains diverted to Old Delhi Railway Station. According to railway officials who said on the condition of anonymity, "The assessment of the aforementioned is still underway. The Anand Vihar station is also likely to get 150-190 such coaches which will be stationed across its seven platforms. The preparations will begin from tomorrow. These coaches once ready will be handed over to the state government after which the maintenance will be done by the state administration."

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The coaches will have oxygen cylinders, necessary medical supplies and sterilised beds for the safety of the patients seeking the treatment. They will also have various charging points for the phones and laptops along with mosquito nets to protect the people. The cost incurred to prepare such coaches is close to 2 lakh/coach.

Shakurbasti station had received 10 similar coaches on May 31, after which another 44 have been deployed taking the number of those coaches to 54.

Delhi has been witnessing a sudden spike in cases. On Sunday more than 2,200 cases were recorded taking the tally to more than 41,000. Many patients have been struggling to find beds in hospitals further leading a very gruesome picture.