B Anbuselvan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chennai traffic police’s decision to ban entry of water tanker lorries into the city between 8 am and noon has affected water supply to several trains from Egmore station. As many as, 11 trains, including daily and weekly expresses, are being operated with insufficient or no water for the past 10 days as the station depends on supply of water by private tankers.

R Gunavathi (60) of Tambaram who travelled by Kanniyakumari-Hazrat Nizamuddin Thirukkural Express last week underwent hardship as there was no water on the train between Gudur and Vijayawada. “The train, after leaving Egmore stops at Vijayawada, a seven-hour journey. Stink emanated from toilets. I could not use it for the entire travel. The onboard railway staff told us that they could not supply sufficient water due to scarcity,” she said.

The ordeal of passengers on other trains, including Madurai-Hazarat Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Express, Vaigai Express, Pallavan Express Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram Weekly Express and Rameswaram-Manduadih weekly Express was no different. The station operates 33 trains a day, of which 11 leave between 8 am and 1 pm.

Trains, including Vaigai, Pallavan and Tambaram-Bhagat Ki Kothi Humsafar Express and Kanniyakumari-Hazrat Nizamuddin Thirukkural Express, were supplied water from the station, while the other trains were provided water from the maintenance yard.

Egmore station requires 10 lakh litres of water a day and the supply was outsourced to private tanker lorry companies.

“We are unable to meet water demand through groundwater. Water received from tanker lorries in the early morning is being supplied to Vaigai and Pallavan Expresses. In the absence of adequate water supply, water could not be provided to weekly trains,” said a railway official. Water supply to the station is often gets delayed by tanker lorries for reasons including failure of motors at water companies, vehicle failure, traffic and accidents.

“The water supply companies function only up to 8 pm. It’s nearly impossible for lorries to deliver the water before 8 am. Lorries that supply water to Railways should be allowed around the clock,” the official said.

When contacted, a senior police official of Chennai city said if Railways approached them with details of lorry numbers which are to be exempted from the peak-hour restriction, the matter would be looked into.

Demand & supply