Indian railways has tied up with private companies to construct water-vending machines with revised prices
Vending machines for purified drinking water are to be set up in the Chennai division that includes the suburban stations, of which the Chennai central station is tipped to have 18 machines
Chennai: In a move to provide purified drinking water to passengers at a cheap rate, the Indian railways has tied up with private companies to construct water-vending machines with revised prices, as a part of which a pre-bid meeting will take place on July 14. According to the senior officials from the Chennai division of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Lim-ited (IRCTC), 150 vending machines are to be set up in the Chennai division that includes the suburban stations, of which the Chennai central station is tipped to have 18 machines.
"We are looking to provide pure, treated drinking water to the people who are traveling in the unreserved coaches and those who cannot afford buying bottled waters. The plan is in its initial stages and once the private parties accept the terms and conditions, the work will be on and completed by the stipulated time," said a senior official at IRCTC, Chennai.
He added that the railways had come up with the new drinking water facility because there were complaints from various sections regarding the cleanliness of the present facilities and on the scarcity of water in certain railway stations that has forced many passengers to depend on tap water.
As per the new plan, a passenger can fill 1 liter of purified water with Rs 5, and if more water is needed, he/she has to pay extra cash. As part of this initiative, private companies will be invited for contracts for constructing and operating drinking water machines for 720 stations throughout the country. Each station will have two such facilities, each on the extreme right and left sides of the platform.
Each drinking water kiosk will also be attached to an underground 'sump' that will collect untreated water during the purification process that will be later used for cleaning the platforms, tracks and toilets. Senior officials at the IRCTC said that a study is conducted on the feasibility of providing two drinking water kiosks at each railway stations of the Chennai division within a span of six months.
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