The railway ministry, in its boldest move yet on its dismal catering sector, has decided to install close-circuit television cameras in the pantry cars of a few trains as a pilot project to keep an eye on what exactly goes into the food that you consume.
Speaking to dna, Anil Saxena, additional director-general, public relations, railway ministry, said that the list of the trains which will have their pantry monitored by CCTVs is being finalised. "The list should be ready in a fortnight. The ministry is also discussing the technical aspect of who will monitor live feed from the CCTV system. Everything should fall in place in a few days," said Saxena.
The railway ministry, is taking a tough stand on the abysmal quality of food being prepared, it has levied Rs1 lakh fines on caterers and once a complaint has been lodged and found to be true. The railway officials agreed that the CCTV project would go a long way.
"It will give the railways an idea of what is going on in the pantry, where the grains and vegetables are stored, the cleanliness of the pantry, the number of people working in it and a host of other information. It will allow the railways to take an action even without having to wait for a complaint because the fact remains that a very few percentage of passengers actually visit a pantry car," said a senior city-based railway official. It's a big question mark as to what all goes inside the pantry.
The railway ministry has recently been trying to set things right by introducing measures like SMS service to alert passengers on the pricing of the food, a 10-digit complaint number, and stickers pasted inside the trains to educate commuters about rules and regulations governing the catering sector.
However, the officials agreed that all this was just the beginning and it would take some time to ensure that the railway's catering does not leave a bad taste in the mouth, literally. "Top officials of the railways, even the minister himself, should make surprise checks and cancel contracts right there and then, if the standards are not met," said Manish Chaturvedi, a Bhandup resident.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}