Houses on wheels: Obsolete train coaches to be used as shelter homes for Hyderabad’s homeless

The Indian Railways has decided to reuse old and defunct railway coaches as shelters for the homeless during the approaching winter season. The plan has been sanctioned by the central government.

As reported by Timesnownews, when the Railways decided to auction such obsolete coaches in November 2016, while some of the buyers converted them into sumptuous restaurants or peculiar personal libraries, the Telangana Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (TMEMPA) decided to put these coaches to better use by using them as temporary housing shelters for the homeless. 16 urban local bodies (ULBs) has been ordered by the TMEMPA.

The coaches will be moved to grounds where the state government plans to set up permanent housing schemes for the underprivileged after the water supply and sewerage connections are fitted in the coaches.