On water, that is. Western Railway commuters can soon enjoy purified water at no cost
On water, that is. Western Railway commuters can soon enjoy purified water at no cost
If all goes well, commuters travelling by Western Railway will no longer have to pay for purified drinking water at railway stations.
WR officials said they have come up with a plan, by which they will give water-processing companies advertising space in return for providing the water free.
WR has invited expressions of interest and expect responses within the month.
First step
The move is the first step towards implementing the railway board's recently formulated policy.
According to the policy, WR will permit companies with expertise in the reverse osmosis process of water purification to set up water vending machines at 11 stations including Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus.
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The machine will have to provide 300 litres of purified water in an hour. However, passengers will have to bring their own bottles to fill the water.
"The contract will be for a period of one year, during which the company can generate revenue from advertisements.
We will provide the vendor free electricity and potable water. Our aim is to provide quality drinking water to commuters," said S S Gupta, CPRO, Western Railway.
Added another official, "Most of the existing water fountains are either dysfunctional or dirty. Commuters cringe from drinking water from taps on the platforms.
Therefore, this policy would be of great help in making purified drinking water available at stations."
| Matter Of Trust |
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Philanthropist Mahavirprasad G Saraf (75) was shocked when he found that of the 98 drinking water huts he had installed at 46 railway stations in 2001, 70 are in a bad condition. |
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