No more summer whine: IRCTC introduces new machinery at Rail Neer plant in Ambernath for uninterrupted supply
IRCTC's largest Rail Neer bottling plant in Ambernath is undergoing a massive overhaul to improve production and supply of packaged water for railway passengers.
Mumbai: In order to ensure seamless production and uninterrupted supply of Rail Neer packaged drinking water, sold by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) at railway stations and on trains, its largest bottling plant in Ambernath is all set for a massive makeover and overhauling of the machinery.
The IRCTC launched Rail Neer in 2003 to enhance amenities for railway passengers. The bottled water is processed, purified and packaged at state-of-art plants and costs ₹15 per litre.
Owing to recurring breakdowns of its more than ten-year-old machines at the Ambernath plant which resulted in disruption of the supply chain of Rail Neer, the IRCTC has taken a concrete step towards finding a permanent solution by replacing the machines.
The Ambernath Rail Neer plant which is Indian Railways’ largest water bottling plant, both in terms of production capacity and sheer setup, produces 2 lakh bottles of 1 litre each packed in 14,500 cartons, though demand exceeds 17,000 cartons in summer.
Between February 20 and March 8, last year, the Rail Neer supply was curtailed at static units (food stalls on platforms), as the Ambernath plant was due for mandatory annual maintenance. The commuters criticised the move which was taken amid peak summer and several water vending machines were lying defunct across the platforms.
Senior IRCTC officials said they started the process to replace the manufacturing machines in the mega bottling plant to stretch its codal life which is likely to be completed this year. “The production plant is going strong despite being there for 10 years. We will now introduce better machinery that will not only smoothen the process and limit downtime during repairs but will also augment the production capacity,” said the senior official.
Sources said the machines currently require a shutdown every three months, putting undue pressure on the production line as well. Usually, these repair works go on anywhere between a week to 10 days.
“Every time we want to take a shut down for necessary repair works, we have to increase the storage capacity and reduce supply briefly so as to manage the supply for the days the plant is shut. We do allow other brands of bottled water to be sold at static units (food stalls), however, we do get complaints from passengers as well,” said another official.
The caterers and food stall owners say they are forced to buy other brands of bottled water at costlier rates and in bulk as the orders are placed at the last moment. During this period, usually, the railways withdraw supplies of Rail Neer from stations on the Main and Harbour Lines on both Central and Western railways.
Last month, railway caterers complained to the railways about IRCTC’s failure to ensure an efficient supply of Rail Neer packaged drinking water bottles. IRCTC had partially withdrawn the supply of bottled water till May 1 for over a week, despite the prevailing heat. The Western Railway Caterers Association urged railway authorities to end the monopoly of Rail Neer at stalls on station premises.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.