CBI Suspect Scam in Supply of RailNeer bottled water in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains

CBI Suspect Scam in Supply of RailNeer bottled water in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains

New Delhi:  As per CBI and some media reports, there appears to be a “scam” in providing bottled drinking water in premium trains like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi with the connivance of officials from IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation) and Indian Railways, some new media evidently reported the news. Smelling a rat, the CBI, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Vigilance Department of Northern Railways raided at least 15 Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains to lift samples of bottled water in a bid to crack the nexus behind the scam.

A day after the news spread on an apparent drinking water scam in the making in railways, the IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation) alleged that a nexus of the catering contractors are blocking the mandatory Rail Neer from being served to the passengers in the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. Ever since IRCTC hiked price of Rail Neer from Rs 12 to Rs 15, contractors are not picking up stocks of the water. The CBI had raided 15 Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains over three days to get evidences against rampant racket of serving sub-standard and counterfeit water bottles to passengers in premium trains.

Reacting to the reports, the IRCTC alleged that ever since it hiked the price of Rail Neer from Rs 12 to Rs 15, the catering licensees (contractors) are not picking up the Rail Neer stocks, which has resulted in overstocking in the factories. “IRCTC is facing the problem of non-picking up of Rail Neer by the catering licencees in Rajdhani and Shatbdi trains resulting in overstocking. This is despite the fact that the Rail Neer brand of packaged drinking water is mandatory to be provided on premium trains Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duranto,” said an IRCTC official.

Though the IRCTC sought to wash its hands off the racket of serving the passengers in the premium trains sub-standard and locally-filled tap water in bottles of Rail Neer and other brands, sources in the railways said that the scam could not take place without the connivance of the IRCTC officials with the catering contractors to show an artificial shortage of the mandatory drinking water bottles.