Commuters are blowing their cool, because the 'blowers' in local trains aren't working, leaving them with no ventilation. Already, peak-hour crowds don't leave any breathing room, and the problem gets worse when people shut the doors and windows to keep rainwater out. This is when the ventilation system is needed most, but railway authorities refuse to switch it on during monsoon.

By the railways' own admission, there is a major design flaw with the blowers — when they're on, they won't just pump fresh air into the coaches, but will also draw all the rainwater inside. The only choice for commuters is between breathing easier and getting drenched. Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer for Western Railway (WR), said, "There is a problem with the blowers in the monsoon, as they draw rainwater into the coaches." These so-called state-of-the-art blowers were installed at a cost of R4 crore per coach. This brought the total cost to R48 crore for each 12-car train, just for the ventilation system.