Train passengers create ruckus over lack of water

Bhopal: Passengers travelling to Chennai in 22632 Anuvrat Express, a superfast air-conditioned train, created a ruckus as the train chugged in to at Bairagarh and Bhopal railway stations on Monday morning. Passengers had a harrowing time with the coaches going without water for almost 12 hours.
Passengers travelling since last night took the coach attendants and railway staff to task after no arrangements were made for restoring water supply since midnight.
After an alarm by the coach attendants at Bairagarh station railway officials attended to the passengers at Bhopal station and made arrangements for water in all the coaches and pacified the angry passengers.
Around midnight when the train moved out of Kota Junction and one of the passengers travelling in bogie number A4 used washbasin only to find that water supply in the bogie stopped. After checking around he learnt there was no water in A3 and A4 coaches as well. Passengers were forced to use washrooms of other bogies but supply ran out in all the coaches by late night.
"Water supply got disrupted after Kota due to which passengers, particularly elderly, were distressed," said Ashok Bajpai, a retired session judge from Rajasthan travelling in A4 coach.
Gaurav Jain, a passenger travelling from Bikaner to Nagpur, said water supply in the bogie was slow from Bikaner. However, we adjusted to it, but since morning there was no water.
Ranjit Gahlot, a passenger travelling from Jaipur, said, "We are going to Chennai. From last night water supply stopped causing inconveinence to all passengers."
Another passenger Jitendra said they had to purchase packaged water bottles from stations.
Around 8 am passengers of third AC coaches also started complaining about taps going dry in the washrooms. When train reached Bairagarh railway station and passengers lodged repeated complaints with the coach attendant he called up Bhopal division. They also had a heated argument with the railway staff over the issue. Finally, after a wait of 12 hours it was around 10:30 am when train reached Bhopal railway station that the passengers were provided with water supply.
"We came to know about the issue from a coach attendant and did the needful as soon as the train reached the Bhopal railway station," said Anil Dixit, deputy assistant commercial officer, Bhopal junction.