Waking up to the complaints of shoddy kitchens
and appalling services in the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, the
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has
initiated an external audit of the services by TUV, an
internationally acclaimed private body along with internal audits of
its own. They have also implemented a change in the menu being
served to the passengers on board.
There have been numerous complaints about the quality of food served
to the passengers in special trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani and
about the attendants and instances when cockroaches have been found
in food served to them. "It hurts when you pay an extra amount for
the services which are not provided to you. Not only the quality of
food is bad, but proper hygiene is also not maintained in these
trains. The menu too is pathetic, serving just the mundane food
items," said Rahul, a frequent passenger on the Kalka - Shatabdi.
The passengers travelling on the longer routes have had experiences
too. "The quality of packed food is still bearable , but cooked food
is really bad. The Rajdhanis and Shatabdis are no longer the best
trains, as acclaimed by the Railways. The hygiene in these trains is
not up to the mark with cockroaches flying all over. To make matters
worse, the behaviour of the attendants too is bad," : These are the
common complaints made by the passengers.
Commenting on the complaints, IRCTC Chief Regional Manager Aneet
Dulat says: "We have been receiving complaints about the services
and in response to them, IRCTC has roped in TUV; an international
food auditing agency for food audits. The agency will set up food
safety standards and monitor all processes relating to the
production, processing, selling and distribution of all food items
in the railway network."
IRCTC has also bracketed the trains on the basis of services. Dulat
admitted that a few Shatabdi trains fall in the B category. IRCTC
also implemented some changes in the menu recently. Now cyclic menus
will be provided with change in major meals like lunch and dinner on
certain days.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/IRCTC-ropes-in-foreign-firm-
to-audit-complaints/348296/
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