Bus passengers in Tamil Nadu can quench their thirst at a low price of Rs 10 per litre now, as Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launched the sale of ‘Amma Mineral Water’ on Sunday, to mark the 105th birth anniversary of CN Annadurai fondly called as ‘Anna’.
The pioneer measure will help passengers to escape from the fleecing vendors at motels and bus stands who sell water bottles at Rs 20 or more, besides ensuring quality and hygienic mineral water at a price lower than that of railways which sells one litre bottle at Rs 15.
At a simple function held at the State Secretariat, the Chief Minister launched the sale of mineral water and also inaugurated the water production unit set up by the Institute of Road Transport at Gummidipoondi through video conferencing facility. The unit has been established at an area of 2.47 acres of land.
The CM bought the first bottle of mineral water with a capacity of one litre from Transport Minister V Senthil Balaji by paying Rs 10 to him and distributed water bottles to seven passengers.
An official release said, the Amma Mineral Water would be sold at long distance government buses, all bus terminuses in Chennai and bus stands in all districts across the State. The water manufacturing units, to be established by the State Transport Corporations, would make available one litre of mineral water bottle at Rs 10 each as against Rs 15 by the Railways and Rs 20 by private players.
The trend setting initiative is one among the series of steps which the CM is taking to protect the people of the State from soaring prices and inflation.
The AIADMK government has been implementing many such schemes to cushion the poor and middle class people. It is running Amma canteens in nine municipal corporations.