Pantry staff make a quick buck on plates

AURANGABAD: Rohini Mule, a homemaker from Aurangabad, was tricked into shelling out more money for regular food items on board the Tapovan Express. She ended up paying Rs 40 for a veg cutlet and Rs 10 for a cup of tea although she should have paid Rs 30 and Rs 5 for each of these items, respectively.
Her grievance at being made to pay higher than the official rate card is not unusual among rail passengers.
Sudhir Pathak, another passenger, said he invariably pays Rs 20 for a bottle of packaged drinking water during his routine train travel. A regular passenger boarding the Marathwada Express that plies between Manmand junction and Dharmabad, Pathak had to pay Rs 5 more for each water bottle he purchased.
While the Railways mull shunting out the pantry cars in long-distance trains, passengers are experiencing poor services in the coaches at the moment. Last year, the Railways announced its plans to shunt out the pantry car to make room for passengers and improve food quality by outsourcing it to a variety of off-site vendor. Passengers can contact the vendors through SMS, call or the railway mobile app to get a delivery of a variety of hygienically prepared and packaged foods.
The Railways offer pantry car services in 338 trains (as of December 2015) across the country. It included 16 trains from the South Central Railway division that covers several parts of Marathwada and serves as passing zone for several long-distance trains plying between southern and northern parts of the country. Today, about 80% of the food served on a train is cooked at a kitchen on the station premises. This allows the caterer to meet the high demand, save time and offer fresh fare.
Ganesh Date, an engineer from Vasai in Palghar district, who regularly travels undertakes railway travel in Marathwada and other parts of the country, said he comes across umpteen incidents of pantry contractors overcharging passengers.
"Many passengers are unaware about exact rates of different food items and beverages served in trains. This ignorance is shrewdly used by pantry owners and the serving staffers. The passengers should not hesitate in asking for rate card every time they order food or beverages," said Date, who has also lodged a formal complaint with the Indian Railways in the matter of overcharging in Devgiri Express.
In addition to the standard food and beverage items, different a-la-cart items with regional variation are also served for which price and menu are fixed by zonal railways.Passengers must remember that the pantry car rate for different food items is inclusive of the service tax. Bilingual menu sticker is expected to be pasted in each coach for the convenience of passengers.
The Railways introduced an SMS-based Passenger Complaint and Suggestion system, where any grievances regarding the quality of food, overcharging by the staff and hygiene can be made. Complaints and suggestions can be registered by sending an SMS to the designated number. (See box). In response, an automated acknowledgement with a unique ID will be sent as an SMS. In addition, the helpline number (138) will address complaints relating to cleanliness, food and catering, coach maintenance, medical emergency, linen.
Complaints can also be lodged online by logging on the website of the Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation at www.irctc.com. Complaints can also be registered in complaint books available with the party car manager, the train superintendent and the guard.
Harsha Shah of Railway Pravasi Group, said passengers should insist on proper receipts of the food items and beverages they purchase during train journey. "If passengers demand legitimate bills from pantry owners, different malpractices can be curbed. Also, railway authorities should give wide publicity to the rate chart and display it in every coach of the train," she said.
Shah said having legitimate bill in hand would also help passengers in lodging complaints related to overcharging or quality of food served in trains.
When contacted, Rajesh Shinde, spokesperson of Nanded division of South Central Railway, said passengers should register complaint through dedicated mechanism provided in case of any grievances related to pantry services.
"We officially receive very few complaints from passengers. At our end, we have issued strict warning to pantry owners to comply with the norms and standard operating procedures. A special drive was also conducted recently after complaints of overcharging of packaged water were received. A fine was imposed on the errant vendors," he said.