AG appears to defend Railways in bad food in trains PIL

New Delhi, Nov 22 (UNI) Perturbed by the inspection of the pantry cars in various trains by the court-appointed committee, the Government today sent Attorney General Milon Banerjee to defend the Railways Ministry and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) before the Delhi High Court.

Mr Banerjee appearing before a division bench of Justice Mukundakam Sharma and Justice Hima Kohli submitted that the authorities had initoated steps to improve the infrastructure, service and hygiene of food items supplied to the passengers in various trains.

The Committee comprising petitioner and Counsel Varun Goswami, Advocate Kirit Uppal, submitted the report with the photographs showing unhygienic conditions in kitchens of various trains.

The Court took strong exception to the fact that food from such a kitchen was supplied to the passengers.

The Judges directed the IRCTC authorities to take notice of the shortcomings and to initiate steps to improve the quality of the food.

Adjourning the matter till December 21, the court asked the authorities to submit a report in four weeks after initiating steps in this direction.

The Court asked the Committee to accompany an inspector of the IRCTC with them when going on a surprise inspection of any pantry car of a train.

Both Mr Uppal and Mr Goswami submitted that despite charging exorbitant prices for food, the private contractors or licencees appointed by the IRCTC did not improve the quality of food and hygienic condition of the pantry cars in about 235 express trains.

On April 28, Mr Goswami had filed a PIL seeking direction to the Ministry of Railways and IRCTC to modernise and sanitize their base kitchens, which supplied food to the passengers.

The petition has sought the direction of the court for immediate and appropriate steps to modernise kitchens and other food manufacturing facilities of the Indian Railways.

The conditions in the base kitchens and other food preparation units of the Railways are highly deplorable, unhygienic and pathetic, alleged the petition.

UNI PAT DKA RK1733