VIJAYAWADA: Officials from the Commercial Department of Vijayawada Division, South Central Railway, conducted a surprise catering inspection at Vijayawada Railway Station on the night of May 11 under the supervision of Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Rambabu Vavilapalli.
The operation aimed to ensure hygienic, high-quality, and fairly priced food for passengers while curbing unauthorised vending and overcharging. Officials inspected all catering stalls, verifying vendor permits and ID cards.
Seventeen unauthorised vendors operating without valid permits or with expired ID cards were identified, and a penalty of Rs 85,000 was imposed and collected on the spot. Vendors were counselled to prevent overcharging, restrict operations to designated areas, and deploy only authorised staff, particularly during peak hours.
Rambabu Vavilapalli commended the efforts of the Commercial Department and station staff for their proactive role in ensuring passenger welfare. He stressed the need for regular surprise checks to eliminate unauthorised hawking and vending and to maintain food quality standards at the station.