City waits for second water special to step up supply from Jolarpet

Both Railway and Chennai Metro Water sources confirmed on Sunday that the 50-wagon special train has only been making one trip since then. A 50-wagon BTPN (bogie tank wagons) rake can carry around 2.5 mld per trip.

While the maiden service started at 7.15 am and reached Villivakkam in a little over four hours, the second trip made on Saturday was stretched by an additional hour as it started only at 5.50 pm from Vellore. Sources attributed the fall in trips to non-availability of rakes.

Though two BTPN rakes were earmarked to overcome the water crisis in the city, only one rake was available till Saturday. The volume of water transported to the city cannot be doubled unless the second 54,000-litre capacity rake, which was handed over to the Wagon Repair Workshop in Kota on July 5, reaches Jolarpet.

Originally, the second rake was expected to reach the city by early Saturday and increase the volume of water sent to the State capital. However, doubts were raised after only one trip was made even on Sunday.

DT Next had reported earlier that only three trips (7.5 mld) would be possible even if railway authorities stretch it to their limits.

Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage (TWAD) board, which has been coordinating the movement of the water special, has reduced the staff deployment from 50 to 25 during the first two days of the operation of the water special, Railway officials revealed. They had deployed one person per wagon earlier, now two wagons are manned by one TWAD staffer.