Food in trains

There is no passenger of the Indian Railways who has not felt harassed and stressed for some reason or the other. While at times one may be lucky to catch the train on time, the quality of food served on trains almost every time leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The meals hover in the range of tolerable to stale, rancid and inedible. The damning report of CAG in 2017 which found that the food and water provided in the coaches of the 80 trains and at 74 stations it inspected were ‘unfit for human consumption’ finally steered the Railways to improving its catering arm. Last year, the Railways received 7,500 complaints of bad quality of food served. The fines imposed on vendors till October and action against the guilty contractors/ suppliers should be a deterrent.

The Rail Drishti Dashboard, a portal launched by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday, is another effort designed to put the travel experience on the right track. The website promises to be a window to information for the passengers. It enables them to keep track of the movement of trains, stations and tickets. Access to live feed of how their meals are cooked and packed at IRCTC kitchens is a sure recipe for cooks preparing appetising dishes in a hygienic environment. Complaints regarding contaminated water or ingredients unprotected from flies etc. should reduce with the cameras on them. Next, the Railways should focus on improving the 400 pantry cars run on long-distance trains. One-third of them are in a bad condition and the LPG gas used is a fire hazard. 

A satisfied traveller getting to sample fresh and hygienically cooked local cuisine of the area that he is passing through would cherish his journey. But for him to become an ambassador for the Railways, the network has much distance to be covered yet. In addition to bettering onboard catering services, the areas of rail safety, sanitation in trains and stations, and punctuality leave much to be desired.