Chandigarh, April 16
The much-acclaimed Shatabdi Express, introduced by the Indian Railways with an objective of providing luxury yet affordable rail travel in the region, no longer inspires the confidence it had generated about a decade ago.
A large number of Shatabdi commuters, shuttling between Chandigarh and New Delhi and vice-versa, have often complained in the recent past of “poor service”.
However, the service, especially the catering, instead of improving, has deteriorated so much that travellers are now complaining of mild-to-severe food poisoning after one journey or the other.
According to sources, more than 80 cases of stomach infections and food poisoning have been reported in the past few days by those commuting by the Shatabdi.
An investigation by The Tribune reveals that in the recent past, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has received 33 complaints of “bad food” and “poor service” .
Taking strict action, the railway authorities have not only fined the contractor twice for a sum more than Rs 50,000 but also started inspections on the train to ensure that the food is well-cooked and is served according to the menu.
A majority of the complaints have come from those travelling by the evening Delhi-Kalka (2005) Shatabdi and the morning Kalka-Delhi (2006) Shatabdi.
Incidentally, the catering services on both these trains are being taken care of by the same contractor, whose identity the railway officials refused to disclose.
It may be mentioned here that two contractors have been deputed to provide food on the four Shatabdis which run between Kalka and New Delhi every day. Around 1,100 passengers travel daily on these Shatabdis.
The contractors were changed last September after complaints of "poor service" were received against the previous contractor. But cases of food poisoning and bad food have been reported only after the new contractor has come in.
Despite the railway authorities' action over the past two weeks, passengers are still not satisfied with the food provided.
Talking to The Tribune, a passenger I.D. Ojha,
National Secretary General, Bharat Vikas Parishad, said: "The quality of food is quite bad, and to make matters worse, the seal of the mineral water bottle is often broken."
Frequent travellers by Shatabdi also allege that they are not given the complaint book. It is only after some pressure is mounted that things move.
“From the ticket examiner to the catering manager, all tried to convince me not to complain. It was only when I insisted the complaint book was handed to me,” alleged Mr Jagjit Singh, a senior citizen.
Interestingly, the IRCTC is also planning to launch a new menu, which will include paranthas, curd, etc for breakfast.
The finalisation of the menu, railway officials said, was in the process. Hopefully that will improve things.
Talking to The Tribune, the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Mr M.S. Chalia, confirmed that they had received complaints in the recent past.
“We have received complaints which have been brought to the notice of the IRCTC. The contractor is a new person and he has been fined twice by the railway authorities.”
