Caterers fleecing railway passengers

Hyderabad: Despite all the promises made in the Rail Budget every year about improved services, passengers travelling by rail complain that railway catering contractors are overcharging for the food served on trains. Railway officials don’t seem concerned about this loot of passengers either.

The Indian Railway authorities issued standard menu cards in 2012 and revised the charges in 2013 for all items from tea to meals. As per the standard menu, 170 ml of standard tea in a disposable cup should be sold at Rs 5 at both railway canteens and on trains.

The same amount of tea-bag tea or instant coffee (150 ml) using coffee powder and a disposable cup should be sold at Rs 7. But no railway contractor, or even hawker, sells tea or coffee at this price.

G. Satyanarayana Reddy, a regular passenger from Lingampally, said that tea at railway canteens and on trains, costs passengers Rs 10. “As per the standard menu card, the caterers should serve vegetarian meals at Rs 45 at canteens and Rs 50 in trains. But caterers are selling it at Rs 50 at canteens and up to Rs 90 in trains. They don’t provide any valid bill to the passengers. They sell bottled water at Rs 20 against the MRP (maximum retail price) of Rs 15,” he said.

P. Ramu from Bollaram says, “The food at railway stations is always of poor standard and not hygienic. Eating at railway canteens is like purchasing diseases. As per the menu card, a non-vegetarian casserole meal is available at Rs 50, but the contractors and hawkers charge Rs 110 to Rs 120. If we question them, they gather their staff and dare to attack passengers! Even railway police support them.”

Officials of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) say the contractors don’t come under their jurisdiction. Officials from the commercial wing of the South Central Railway (SCR) claim that they are monitoring frauds and booking cases.

Special drives are held once or twice a year and during that time or if there are frequent complaints from passengers against a particular contractor, they do take action, SCR officials say.

In the recent special drives conducted from March 1 to 15, 1,400 cases were booked and 112 persons will be prosecuted from all the stations under the SCR.

Chief public relations officer of SCR, M. Uma Shankar Kumar, says the commercial wing is doing its best to nab fraudulent contractors and has suspended licences in a few cases. "We take stringent action based on complaints lodged by passengers," he claims.