The Ministry of Railways has decided to close down the over four-decade-old Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COFMOW).
This follows the recommendations of the Principal Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, on rationalisation of government bodies.
According to the decision by the Ministry of Railways, COFMOW will be closed down from December 1 this year.
“No more tenders shall be floated or opened henceforth by COFMOW,” the Ministry said in a recent circular, adding that all sanctioned works against which tenders have yet not been finalised or awarded will be transferred immediately to the concerned Zonal Railways.
As part of the closing down procedure, all contracts and documents will be transferred to the concerned Zonal Railways by November 15.
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The buildings and other infrastructure of COFMOW will be handed over to the Railway Board by November 30 for further utilisation, the Ministry has said.
As the name indicates, COFMOW was established under the Ministry of Railways in 1979 to modernise Indian Railways workshops. According to its website, it has assisted in updating Indian Railways Production Units and maintenance workshops, which has involved purchasing over 22,020 machines valued at Rs 6,274 crore.
Based on the recommendations of the Finance Ministry, the Railways has previously closed down Indian Railways Station Development Corporation and is expected to take up the closure of more such organisations that no longer serve any utility.
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