Carry along a water bottle if you're travelling on the Harbour Line or anywhere between Kalyan and Igatpuri as there will be shortage of Rail Neer water bottles at these stations till Nov 15. The dearth is the result of high demand during the festive season and ongoing maintenance work at Rail Neer's production unit in Ambernath.
In a letter to the CR, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has already apprised about the shortage and asked to make alternative arrangements for time being. “Due to the sudden increase in demand for Rail Neer owing to the prevailing festive season and maintenance in the production unit at Ambernath, it will not be feasible to supply the water bottles at mentioned sections from Oct 29 to Nov 15.” Apart from the Mumbai division, there will also be a Rail Neer shortage at Bhusawal, Manmad, Nasik Road, Solapur, Daund and Ahmednagar stations.
This year, the CR ran additional festive trains adding to the production load of Rail Neer. These one-litre water bottles cost Rs15 each. The IRCTC daily produces 14,500 cartons of packaged drinking water; each containing 12 bottles of 1 litre daily. During Diwali, demand shot up to 18,000 cartons daily.
The CR officials said that water bottles of other approved brands will fill in the shortage. However, railway stall owners said that they are finding it difficult to make alternative arrangements at such a short notice. “For urgent supply without proper notice, some dealers are demanding extra charge,” said a Kalyan stall owner who didn't want to be named.
