Power cuts are taking a toll on the rail passengers as the 13 water coolers installed at different platforms of the city railway station have given in to the searing heat. To add to the passengers' woes,vendors have been taking advantage of the crisis. In order to increase the sale of the bottled water,they switch off the coolers so that people buy only packaged water from them.The commuters complain they are at the receiving end as they are not able to get cold drinking water at the station many a time. There are people who buy only bottled water out of choice,but there are many others who cannot afford to buy bottled water and therefore buy it out of compulsion, said a passenger. Besides,the shortage of ice is also being reported in the city,making it difficult for the vendors to keep water bottles chilled during power cuts. In a recent visit of the Division Railway Manager Satish Kumar to the railway station,the unavailability of cold drinking water came to light,making him order the divisional security officer to check the vendors who deliberately switch off the coolers even when power is available. RK Sharma,station superintendent,said all coolers worked properly but some vendors were suspected to be keeping the coolers switched off They turn the plug off by using a stick as the plugs are behind iron bars, he said. Porter-strength enhancedThe shortage of porters at the city's railway station could end soon as the rail authorities have invited applications to hire 60 porters for the station. The station had about 187 porters before former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav promoted porters as gangmen,leaving only 20-odd porters at the city railway station.
