While Indian Railways should talk of bullet trains, it must fix the basics in service
The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India's (CAG) observations on catering services in Indian Railways have not come as a surprise to long-distance travellers who use this facility. They have, perhaps, become accustomed to both — the poor quality of food on board a train and also the railway authorities’ attitude of turning a deaf ear to their regular complaints. What is shocking, however, is the level to which caterers have stooped to ensure that the food is unfit for human consumption. The CAG's remarks on cleanliness and hygiene levels are glaring. Among the many revelations, it said that the food served was often recycled and easily accessible to rats, flies and other insects. Further, the packaged drinking water served is not only past the shelf life but also unpurified as it is collected straight from the tap. What is deplorable is that poor quality of food has been topped by poor catering services. There have been numerous instances of catering personnel’s disappearance from duty and commuters having to depend on whatever was available. Only recently, Ranchi-bound passengers complained of an unpleasant journey after they were not served food on the train, as staff was missing.
It is a fact that despite frequent complaints, the quality of food has deteriorated. Over the years, various Ministers have come and gone but the focus for most of them remained on announcing new trains; recruiting fresh staff, keeping in mind people from their constituencies. Some Ministers also took up the task of announcing the laying of new tracks. However, virtually no Minister gave attention to the basic public grievance — quality of food. This primary concern remained during the tenure of successive Railway Ministers. When Suresh Prabhu took over, he made his initial inclinations known on what he wants to prioritise in railways. Provision of quality food was among the many promises he made. To this end, he made his vision clear. Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha on the quality and serving style of food in trains, he maintained that ‘base kitchens' would be set up to ensure good quality food to travellers. It was expected that the no-nonsense Minister would strive to provide good experience in hospitality. Though Prabhu took some measures — he has several times fined the IRCTC for serving bad food — they have clearly been inadequate, not executed properly, or not effectively supervised. The result is there for all to see in the CAG report. One of the major setbacks has been the lack of accountability caused by constant changes in the catering policy. The responsibility for train food keeps shifting from the railways to IRCTC to other private caterers. If Indian Railways can fix this one problem properly, it will be considered a great achievement. At a time when there is talk of bullet trains and all sorts of hi-tech gadgetry, it is shameful that not even quality food can be served.