Shriram’s water trolley. (Express photo)
Written by Avanish Chandrasekaran
1) What is your daily routine?
After waking up at 4 in the morning, I go to the MCD storage shed near the Old Delhi Railway Station to collect my trolley. I reach ISBT between 7 am and 10 am. I sell water and lime soda for at least 12 hours, until around 8 pm or 9 pm.
2) How many customers do you receive in a day?
It depends on the season. My trolley is parked near the ISBT and metro station. During the summer months, I get close to 100 customers a day. When the weather cools down, I receive around 50 customers a day. The well-to-do people prefer mineral water bottles. But those who cannot, flock to the trolley because the water we sell is clean, cool and cheap.
3) How much do you earn in a day?
It depends on the season. On a good summer day, I make more than Rs 200 from selling water alone (not including lime soda). But there have been lean days in the off-season period when I have returned empty-handed.
4) Recently, the NDMC found that over 500 trolleys were selling contaminated drinking water. What do you think may have happened?
How is it our fault? The trolleys are approved by the MCD and the water is supplied by the Delhi Jal Board. We merely sell their water and make little money. We don’t tamper with the water. Some sellers are irresponsible and serve water in dirty glasses. But I personally ensure my glasses are clean. The trolley water system in Delhi has a long history — half a century ago, a glass of water was sold for 2 annas, and now it is Rs 2. The price may have changed, but the faith of the people of Delhi in the water trolley system hasn’t changed.
5) How do you keep the water cold?
The water is cooled in refrigerators in the storage shed. When we collect the water from the Delhi Jal Board, it is already cool. The mechanism in the trolley is such that it stays cool. For lime soda, I use ice. I procure about 3-5 kg of it every day from an ice thana (shop) near the Tis Hazari Court.