Hundreds of empty bottles of Rail Neer drinking water, supplied by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), were found at a food-processing unit at Vazhakkad in the district, raising suspicions of producing spurious bottled water.
A joint examination of the unnamed unit at Mundumuzhi, Vazhakkad, by panchayat and health authorities found that loads of bottles and other materials were stored in a shed. Health authorities, quoting some workers of the unit, said empty bottles of Rail Neer and other packaged drinking water companies were brought there in bulk. Health officials said they strongly suspected that the plant was used for illegal re-filling and supply of Rail Neer water.
“We cannot say what quality it had. We did not get a re-filled bottle,” said one of the health officials who raided the unit along with Vazhakkad grama panchayat vice- president Jaisal Elamaram.
Licence not renewed
The police said the unit had licence for pickle and sherbet production until 2014. The authorities did not renew the licence after that. A huge quantity of lemon, mango, and dates meant for pickles was found in large jars. The panchayat authorities ordered closure of the unit after the raid.
A signature product of the IRCTC, Rail Neer had won an award for the country’s most trusted brand in packaged drinking water segment last year. Rail Neer is bottled in eight plants across the country, including the one at Parassala in the State. The other plants are at Danapur in Bihar, Nangloi in Delhi, Palur in Tamil Nadu, Ambernath in Maharashtra, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, Bilaspur in Chattisgarh, and Nagpur in Maharashtra.
Railway authorities have sought a report from Vazhakkad panchayat officials about the find. A group of railway officials will visit the unit on Thursday. Mr. Elamaram said the inspection was conducted as part of a plastic-free project launched in the panchayat. “The workers told us that they were collecting the used bottles from railway contractors,” he said. The panchayat authorities could not reach the owner of the plant for questioning.
