Patna Junction. Telegraph picture

Patna, Nov. 8: Too many cooks spoil the broth, and the railways is all set to shave off a few.

The Indian Railways has decided to take over the responsibility of serving refreshments to passengers on 30 trains that depart from Patna.

A source said the change has been implemented in the wake of an increasing number of complaints from passengers about the food served on trains and at platforms.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) regional manager A.K. Jha said the food stalls that were supervised by the IRCTC have been taken over by the railways.

Jha said: “The change has been implemented under a revised policy of railway minister Mamata Banerjee passed on July 21. The new policy has been implemented from November 1. The corporation has handed over 461 food stalls to East Central Railway.”

The regional manager said of 32 trains that depart from Patna, IRCTC would be responsible for serving food on only two trains – Rajdhani Express and Garib Rath Express.

IRCTC, which was formed in 2001, had entered into contracts with private parties to run the food stalls. A source said the private contractors would often serve sub-standard food.

Manoj Yadav, a passenger at Patna Junction, said: “I ordered for vegetarian food while travelling with my family on the Patna-Delhi Rajdhani Express. The meals served to us were stale.”

Yadav said he lodged a complaint with the authorities but was not sure whether any action was taken or not.

He said: “The railways will hopefully serve better food than IRCTC.”

Jha said: “IRCTC had fined some private contractors and withheld their dues after passengers complained about the poor quality of food served on trains.” A source said the railway board would now determine the menu and the price of food on trains.

It had also constituted a committee that would keep a check on the quality of the food being served on the trains and at platforms.

Rohit Shekhar, a passenger at Patna Junction, said: “Complaints are never taken seriously by IRCTC officials. This decision will hopefully improve the condition. It is a relief to us.”

Others, however, were sceptical and said only time would tell if the move could solve the prevalent problems.

Pankaj Kumar, another passenger, said: “How can we be sure that the Indian Railways would serve better food than IRCTC? Instead of taking over the duty of catering, the railways should have found a way to check the quality of food.”

A source said the stalls that were operating on a contractual basis with IRCTC would continue to function under the supervision of the railways.

The authorities were not keen on altering the pattern, as that would involve a significant infrastructure upgrade and would also be time consuming.

Jha said IRCTC officials were keen that the corporation be allowed to continue with its duties. He said the corporation would not lose anything but its annual turnover may plummet.

Jha said: “The corporation would now be responsible for selling e-tickets. It would also manage the business of Rail Neer – the packaged mineral water sold by the railways.”

It would also be responsible for running the food plaza as well as 21 food stalls at Patna Junction, he said.