CHENNAI: In a significant step that will help rail passengers while travelling, the railways has authorised Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to sell its items at platforms. To this effect, the railway board issued an order on Tuesday removing the two-decade old ban.
The decision followed repeated complaints that passengers were unable to buy food during long travel at major and intermediate stations. The move would enable passengers buy hygienic food supplied by authorised food plazas at platforms, said IRCTC sources.
So far, IRCTC authorised static food plazas and catering stalls at railway stations are allowed to sell items only at the counters. These units are mostly located at concourses in major stations of non-suburban grade (NSG 1 grade), while at platforms in NSG 2 and 3 grade stations. Rail passengers face a lot of hardship in buying food items as NSG 2 and NSG 3 grade stations as they mostly have only one food unit at any of one of the platforms.
Presently, the packed food items sold at platforms are mostly either by unauthorised vendors or small catering contractors who are allowed to sell at select stations to cater to a huge demand. Such items are mostly poor in quality for various reasons, sources say. “In most cases, food preparation and packaging process fail to meet the standards. Vendors are unable to maintain quality,” said official sources. “The IRCTC authorised food plazas can cook the food at their base kitchens set up at stations and serve quality food.”
The sources added that more than 40 per cent of trains operated in Southern Railway lack pantry cars. “Depending on passenger demand, once the zonal railway permits us we will begin to sell the food at platforms,” the IRCTC official added.
RO drinking water plant commissioned at Central station
Chennai: Rail passengers travelling from Chennai can now have a sip of drinking water for free at the Central station. A drinking water-vending reverse osmosis plant, which has capacity to supply 5,000 litres of water, has been commissioned at the station. On Thursday, the facility was donated to the Railways by the Rajasthani Association of Tamil Nadu as a social cause in the presence of Divisional Railway Manager Naveen Gulati. The move would largely bring down the use of plastic water bottles, said officials.
CMRL begins work for underground facility at Shenoy Nagar
Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. said preliminary work for the construction of a two-level underground commuter amenities centre under the Shenoy Nagar station has begun. In a statement, it said that the centre will have two basements. The first basement will be equipped to hold 856 two-wheelers and 416 four-wheelers whereas the second one will have retail shops and a food court. The CMRL has also promised to re-develop the park which has been shut for the past eight years for the construction of the Metro station.