Mumbai: The supply of 'Rail Neer' bottled water has been significantly curtailed across the suburban sections of the Central and Western Railway divisions due to ongoing industrial unrest at the Rail Neer Plant in Ambernath. "Dispatches from the plant have been suspended indefinitely, leading to a shortage of packaged drinking water at several suburban railway stations of Mumbai divisions of Central and Western Railways" said an official.
While the authorities work towards resolving the issue, the unavailability of Rail Neer continues to pose a challenge for commuters, particularly during peak travel times and special occasions such as Raksha Bandhan.
The disruption stems from an agitation by local transporters who are demanding exclusive rights to transport Rail Neer, a job currently allocated to companies through a tender process managed by IRCTC. According to sources, local transporters are opposing the involvement of other companies, insisting that only their vehicles should be used for the transport of Rail Neer.
An official at the IRCTC stated, "As per standard norms, we invite tenders and award the contract to the company with the lowest rates. However, the local transporters are opposing this and demanding that only their vehicles be used for transporting Rail Neer. This dispute has severely affected the supply of Rail Neer, but we are actively working to resolve the issue through negotiations with the transporters."
IRCTC typically supplies around 15,000 boxes of Rail Neer daily to the suburban sections of Central and Western Railways, each box containing 12 bottles, totaling approximately 1.8 lakh bottles per day. However, the supply has come to a halt in recent days, leading to a shortage of packaged water at various suburban stations.
Commuters have taken to social media to express their frustration. On August 18, a commuter named Kushal Savant posted on X, stating, "In whole Borivali station, packed water is not available in any of the shops." Similarly, Ankur Pandey, a frequent commuter from Navi Mumbai, reported a water crisis at stations on Monday, noting that most stalls did not have Rail Neer available.
In response to the shortage, railway authorities are making efforts to ensure the availability of alternative approved brands of packaged water at the stations. A Western Railway official stated, "We are doing our best to secure sufficient supplies of other permitted brands of packed water at the stations." A Central Railway official echoed this sentiment, confirming that stall operators have been instructed to arrange for the supply of other approved brands of packaged water to mitigate the shortage.
