Mumbai’s suburban railway network, which sees a daily influx of millions of commuters, is currently grappling with a significant shortage of ‘Rail Neer’ bottled water, a trusted source of packaged drinking water for travellers.
This disruption has been triggered by an ongoing industrial dispute at the Rail Neer Plant located in Ambernath, leading to a complete halt in dispatches to the Central and Western Railway divisions. The core of the Issue lies with a group of local transporters who are vehemently opposing the existing tendering process managed by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). These transporters are demanding exclusive rights to the transportation of Rail Neer, a privilege that is currently awarded to the lowest bidders through a competitive tendering process.
The transporters insist that only their vehicles should be utilised for the distribution of Rail Neer, effectively sidelining other companies that have won contracts through the formal process. An official from IRCTC highlighted the complexities involved, stating, “The tendering process is designed to ensure transparency and cost-efficiency. However, the local transporters are pressuring us to bypass this process and award them exclusive rights, which has led to a standstill in Rail Neer distribution.” The IRCTC is now caught between adhering to its standard protocols and addressing the demands of the transporters, which has resulted in the current shortage.
The impact of this disruption is particularly pronounced during peak travel times and on special occasions, such as the recent Raksha Bandhan festival, when the demand for bottled water soars. IRCTC typically dispatches around 15,000 boxes of Rail Neer daily to the suburban sections of Mumbai’s railways. Each box contains 12 bottles, amounting to approximately 1.8 lakh bottles daily. However, with the suspension of dispatches from the Ambernath plant, this supply chain has come to an abrupt halt, leading to widespread shortages at railway stations across Mumbai.
Commuters have not been silent about this issue. Social media platforms have become an outlet for expressing frustrations, with numerous reports of empty shelves at station stalls. A commuter from Borivali, for instance, highlighted the unavailability of packaged water across the entire station, while others from Navi Mumbai reported similar shortages. Railway authorities have been actively working to mitigate the impact by securing alternative brands of packaged drinking water. A Western Railway official noted, “We are making concerted efforts to ensure that other approved brands of bottled water are available at all stations to cover for the shortage of Rail Neer.” Similarly, Central Railway authorities have instructed stall operators to promptly arrange for other brands to ensure commuters have access to drinking water.
As negotiations continue between IRCTC and the agitating transporters, the resolution of this disruption remains uncertain. The outcome of these discussions will be crucial in determining when the regular supply of Rail Neer can resume, restoring normalcy to Mumbai’s bustling railway stations. Until then, commuters will have to rely on alternative options to quench their thirst during their daily journeys.
