Title - Rly passengers go thirsty

Power cuts, unscrupulous vendors ensure coolers dispense hot water
Ludhiana:
Though former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had claimed that the city railway station figured on the list of 108 model railway stations across the country, passengers hardly find it different form any other ordinary railway station.Passengers are forced to drink packaged water at the station.The railway station authorities have failed to provide basic facilities facilities like cold water to visitors who have to spend some time at the railway station before boarding trains. With a rise in the mercury level, the old problems have started emerging here. Owing to frequent power cuts and intense heat, water tanks mostly remain empty.As many as 12 water coolers have been installed on different platforms, yet passengers are forced to drink hot water from the ordinary taps. Some times due to power cuts and some times due to unscrupulous vendors, who intentionally switch off the power coolers to boost the sales of packaged water at the railway station. Moreover, the coolers are inadequate to meet the heavy rush of passengers at the station.There are four water coolers at platform number 1 while four are shared by passengers of platform number 2 and 3. One water cooler each has been installed at platforms number 4, 5, 6 and 7. Ironically, these water coolers do not dispense cold water.

According to the railway officials, the station remains crowded in the summers. The water coolers are not able to provide chilled water throughout the day amid such a heavy rush of passengers.

Ravinder Sharma, Station Superintendent, said: "We found that some miscreants switch off the water coolers. So, the passengers have to buy packaged water from vendors. They have their financial interests. We are going to be strict against such vendors. He appealed to the social workers and NGOs of the city to set up more water coolers at the platforms in the public interest.