Revamped catering policy before Railway Budget

The Ministry of Railways will announce a revised catering policy before the Railway Budget, which is to be presented by the end of February.

A senior ministry official informed: "The minister had said in the Budget last year that a comprehensive policy to regulate catering services would be formulated. Accordingly, a policy is being worked on. It will be announced before the Railway Budget next month."

The move comes in the wake of widespread customer dissatisfaction regarding the quality of catering services provided on trains and at railway stations. An immediate case in point is the policy notified in March 2009, which entailed a reduction in the menu and in the quantities of food served to passengers on trains.

The official added that the new policy was looking at putting in place strict monitoring mechanisms to provide good-quality food to common passengers at affordable prices. Emphasis is also being laid on making janata khana (economy food) more easily available to the masses.

Among the measures being considered is to bring catering services under the mantle of the railways. Another official at the ministry said: "There have been suggestions that catering services be brought under the purview of the ministry. A final decision in this matter has not been taken."

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) monitors catering services onboard trains and at stations. Sources indicate considering that the railways do not have adequate manpower to manage catering activities on their own. It would be difficult to take such a decision at present.

Meanwhile, Rakesh Tandon, managing director, IRCTC, said: "Revamping of catering services is a continuous process. IRCTC is making all possible efforts to ensure better customer satisfaction."

To improve efficiency and prevent monopolising of catering licences by a few operators, steps are also being taken to put a rigid tab on the number of pantry cars run by a private operator. The new policy is likely to cap the number of pantry cars run by one operator at 10.