Humble 'kulhads' to replace plastic tea cups at railway stations

In a bid to make India ‘plastic-free and to generate employment, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that nearly 400 railway stations are serving tea in ‘kulhads’ (earthen cups).

"There are nearly 400 railway stations serving tea in kulhads. We are making efforts to implement the same across the country as part of the Indian Railways contribution in making India plastic-free. It’ll also generate employment," Goyal said after inaugurating the newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui section of North Western Railway in Rajasthan on Sunday.

The North Western Railway zone has directed its officers to implement measures for ensuring the use of green catering products at Indian railway stations. Thus, now 25 more railway stations would be serving tea and other food items in eco-friendly Kulhads and plates/bowls, according to a PTI report. These stations are Bikaner, Sirsa, Shri Ganganagar, Hisar, Churu, Suratgarh, Jodhpur, Bhiwani, Hanumangarh, Pali, Ajmer, Udaipur, Barmer, Nagpur, Luni, Jaipur, Jhunjhuna, Jaisalmer, Bhagat Ki Kothi, Dausa, Gandhi Nagar, Durgapura, Sikar, Sirohi Road, and Abu Road stations.

At present, Varanasi and Rae Bareli railway stations are already using terracotta products for catering.

A few months ago it was reported that to cater to increasing demand for kulhads, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) was directed to provide equipment for large-scale production of kulhads.