Title - Parched passengers fume as taps run dry at city railway station

Ludhiana :
Taps at the Ludhiana railway station have again gone dry. The authorities also failed to make alternative arrangements for water at the railway station.The passengers who alighted from a train at Platform Number 1 were seen rushing towards the taps to fill their bottles, but they had to return disappointed as the overhead water tanks had gone empty. Authorities said the water tanks could not be filled due to long power cuts.During a visit to the railway station at 3.20 pm on Thursday, it was found that some of the passengers were buying bottled water. But who could not afford the bottled water got their bottles filled from the water stall set up by an NGO.Hardeep Singh, who had to board a train to Rajpura, said: "I have been at the station for the past one hour. Most of the taps on Platform Number 1 had gone dry. I went to fetch water from a water cooler, but it was not functional. Finally, I went to the stall set up by an NGO to quench my thirst."Rahul, a student, said: "I prefer to buy mineral water as the authorities have failed to provide cold drinking water to passengers at the railway station. Taps running dry is a regular feature here.""I have only Rs 30 in my pocket and cannot afford bottled water," said Ram Khilawan, another passenger.Station superintendent Ravinder Sharma said: "I am not aware of the
water scarcity at the railway station."When contacted, senior section engineer (Works) Subhash Chander said: "There was a power shutdown which could have led to water scarcity. However, we did not receive any complaint regarding the water problem at the railway station."