The Northern Railway Printing Press and Stationery Depot, originally one of the 17 printing presses of the Indian Railways, was the biggest both in terms of area and manpower. Photo IPP
Nestled in a lush green belt, which also serves as a natural habitat to peacocks, eagles and several species of snakes near west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh, is the Shakur Basti Northern Railway Printing Press and Stationery Depot. The last of the remaining five presses owned and operated by Indian Railways that will go silent after decades in operation.
Until now, the printing presses have been catering to a variety of printing jobs, including express fare ticket (EFT) books, PRS and PSU train tickets, general forms, books, RPF items, reservation slips, PTOs, and first and second class railway passes.
This unit is among the five remaining that will be shut. The others are at Byculla in Mumbai, Howrah, Royapuram in Chennai and Secunderabad.
The Northern Railway Printing Press and Stationery Depot, originally one of the 17 printing presses of the Indian Railways, was the biggest both in terms of area and manpower. In its golden days, the press employed close to 1,500 people, which has now trickled down to a mere 140.
The 2014 Rototec perfect NT 004 nine color printing press at Shakur Basti Northern Railway Printing Press and Stationery Depot. Photo IPP
The depot houses an array of printing and binding equipment, including a HMT SOM 136 single color sheetfed offset printing machine, a 2014 Rototec perfect NT 004 nine color printing press, a 1987 Sud & Waren four color printing press, a Rekord paper cutting machine and perfect binding equipment.
Established in 1954, the Shakur Basti depot used to stock and deliver stationery for different railway stations of the Northern Railway.
The press also houses a lath machine – the Poly Master PMS/60 – Export (Type A) — for sharpening of spare parts and an adjoining workshop where electrical and mechanical requirements of the presses were made.
All that will be past now.
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