Fresh Bihar cuisine, on trains

Patna: Train passengers passing through Patna Junction can now dig in to the taste of Bihari cuisine from the comfort of their seats.

Under the Taste of Bihar initiative launched by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Tuesday, 20 quintessentially Bihari dishes such as litti chokha, Gaya ka tilkut, litti with dehati chicken - and also seasonal delicacies such as litchis of Muzaffarpur, Malda mangoes from Digha and bananas from Hajipur - will be available to passengers whose trains either originate from Patna Junction or arrive at the station during their journey.

The dishes would be delivered to passengers at their seats by authorised delivery boys of the IRCTC.

Passengers can book their orders through the E-Catering Food on Track mobile app or call up the toll-free number 1323. They can pay online or opt for cash on delivery. Confirmed as well as RAC ticket holders can avail of the service. However, for passengers whose tickets remain waitlisted the meal booking would automatically get cancelled.

The order can be booked two hours before the scheduled time of arrival or departure from Patna Junction.

Passengers can also cancel their orders through the app but there is no provision of refund. There is no minimum order limit.

Ranjan Prakash Thakur, divisional railway manager, Danapur, said: "Our objective is to promote a wide range of dishes that are famous all over the country. The initiative will allow people to taste the cuisine of Bihar without going to restaurants."

The E-Catering facility, launched in January 2015, is aimed at giving railway passengers options to buy fresh food from restaurants - as opposed to the food available from the train pantry - on their journey.

IRCTC group general manager Debashish Chandra, senior divisional commercial manager Vineet Kumar and IRCTC regional manager Rajesh Kumar were also present at the launch of the Taste of Bihar initiative.