Mid Day
Mumbai, Aug 6: Concerned about the inferior quality of mineral water sold at railway stalls, the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd.) has short-listed four brands that will be sold at platforms.
After getting several complaints about unhygienic drinking water, it has been decided that only Aquafina, Kinley, Kingfisher and Oxyrich will be available on the 400 railway stalls in the west zone. The four brands were selected from 15 brands that came for approval. These bottles will be sold for Rs 12. The existing stock of these bottles is priced at Rs 10 and the stalls are at present allowed to sell them at that price.
R D Sharma, group general manager (Mumbai Division), IRCTC, said, "The stalls on railway premises will be allowed to sell only these four brands. If any other brand is being sold, strict action will be taken against the stall."
More than 20 brands of mineral water are available in the market. However, many of these brands failed a quality test during a sample check. Companies must show BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard) certificate, water plant and laboratory test samples before entering the market.
"However, getting such certificates and permissions is very easy. As a result, many companies are selling mineral water of inferior quality in the market without authorised permission. We are putting an end to this," said Sharma.
The IRCTC proposal was pending with the railway ministry for the last two years.