GMs, in addition to IRCTC, empowered to set up food plazas in train stations
NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at increasing the number of food plazas, the fast-food units, and the multi-cuisine restaurants at railway stations, the Ministry of Railway has now empowered the general managers (GMs) of all the 17 zones apart from the IRCTC to utilize the vacant commercial spaces for setting up of food- plazas or other food units. Following this order, the railways at zone level would be able to set up more than 100 static food plazas and the fast-food units at different railway stations in addition to more than 300 food plazas and other units already functioning.
Officials in the know of this project said that the railways have not taken the right from IRCTC for setting up food plazas. The railway has only given permission to all zones in addition to IRCTC also for setting up the food plazas at the sites, which are lying vacant for the last one year or more times.
“The Food Plazas or the fast-food units or the multi cuisines restaurants will be allotted through an open tender process for a period of nine years as stipulated within the catering policy 2017 by the zone at vacant space not still being utilized by IRCTC,” a senior railway official said, adding that IRCTC had floated the tenders earlier but due to COVID-19 pandemic, no bidder responded
seeing railway services impacted by the pandemic badly.
When contacted, the spokesperson of IRCTC Anand K Jha said that the IRCTC is already working on setting up more than 75 food plazas in the next few months. “All officials formalities are being completed for setting up more than 75 new food places on priority”, Jha said, adding that more than 300 Food Plazas are already functioning across the country.