Udupi: On charges of staging a road block near the Old Diana Circle here without permit, Udupi Town Police registered cases against the activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) on Friday.

Sadiq Ahmad (40), Afroz K (39), Ilias Saheb (46), Irshad (37), Fiaz Ahmad (39), Muhammad Ashraf (43), A Haroun Rashid, Mohammad Juraiz (42), Isak Kidwai (30), Shaukat Ali (31) and Mohammad Zahid (24) are the arrested PFI activists.

The road block was held as a part of the protest by the PFI against the raid on the leaders’ homes and offices by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday.

In his complaint, Inspector Pramod Kumar said, “The PFI activists staged the protest on the streets sans permission, causing inconvenience to citizens and preventing easy movement of traffic. When they refused to clear the protest site, we were forced to use force to disperse the group.”

A case has been registered in the Town Police Station against the arrested protesters under IPC Codes 143, 147, 149 and 290. The activists have been charged with staging a protest and blocking the road without prior permission, thereby inconveniencing citizens and preventing movement of traffic.

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New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.

Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.

"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.

"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country

"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.

"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.

Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.

"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.

"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.