KOCHI: Water vending machines (WVMs) serving purified and chilled drinking water would begin functioning at three railway stations in Ernakulam district this week.
Water purified using reverse osmosis (RO) technology would be sold at the rate of Rs 8 per litre and Rs 5 for half a litre, including the price of the bottle, officials said.
Ernakulam Junction, Ernakulam Town and Aluva are the stations where WVMs have been installed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC), the catering subsidiary of Indian railways.
Two machines have already been installed in each station and they would be operational day and night. Refills are allowed at the WVMs at Rs 3 for half a litre and Re 1 for 300 ml.
WVMs have already been installed at Thrissur railway station and they have been functional since the first week of May. The machines are being installed at these stations as part of IRCTC’s plan to set up 91 machines in 18 railway stations falling under Trivandrum division, officials informed.
Commenting on the efforts to maintain quality of the water being dispensed, A Biju, station manager at Ernakulam north, said: “The scheme was initiated by IRCTC in collaboration with private companies to dispense quality drinking water to commuters at nominal rates. The purification and dispensing of water will be done by private companies while the health department will regularly monitor the quality of the water provided through the machines.”
Source: Times of India
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