Food plaza at railway station appears to be a distant dream

Neeraj Bagga

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 26

Months have passed since the railway station got a director but its food plaza, High Officer Requisite (HOR) quota and other services are still unavailable to people.

The food plaza at the railway station was closed two years ago after a Mumbai-based private concern pulled out of it. No effort has been made to reopen it since then.

A daily passenger, Harpreet Singh, said the food plaza was opened after a long time only to be closed within a few months. The Railways appointed a director for the city station, categorised as A-1 railway station, after a long time. “The director should ensure that the station functions as a centre of excellence for passengers,” he said.

The private firm had started operating the plaza in July 2014 after winning the bid. Though the concern did not come on record to clear the air on reasons behind shutting it down, sources said the firm found it commercially non-viable. The firm operating the plaza had to pay Rs 3 lakh per month to the Railways as licence fee besides shelling out a hefty sum for electricity tariff, the rate for which was quite high.

High power tariff, taxes and other costs made eatables costly. The high-end multi-cuisine food outlet did not attract customers as it had faced cut-throat competition from vendors serving food at low rates at the railway station.

Vendors are of the view that most of the trains either begin or terminate at this station so people prefer snacks over meal. Earlier, the non-availability of a regular official here had compelled the authorities to shift the HOR quota to Ferozepur, which houses divisional headquarters. To avail tickets under the quota for various categories, one has to visit the Ferozepur office.

When contacted, Assistant Electric Engineer Amrit Singh, who has been given the additional charge as director of the railway station, said, “Efforts are underway to reopen the food plaza. Several representations from the public have gone to the zonal office at Ferozepur but higher officials are of the view that authorisation of the HOR quota must remain there.”