India, Aug. 16 -- E coli bacteria, usually found in human excreta, has been found in drinking water samples picked up from water coolers at several railway stations, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General has said.

These included Coimbatore and Palakkad in Southern Railway, Hyderabad in South Central Railway, four stations (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala) in Central Railway, and Madhupur in Eastern Railway, the report that studied passenger services at 512 non-suburban grade stations across all zones said.

"Test results of drinking water samples collected from taps in platforms at 49 stations in eight zones during 2022-23 and 56 stations in 9 zones during 2023-24 indicated presence of T...