Railways to introduce ISO standards for catering equipment

New Delhi, June 28 (UNI) Catering on trains in the country may have triggered strong public complaints and a slew of legal cases, but the Railway authorities are hopeful that things would improve soon in view of ''sound steps'' being taken, including introduction of ISO standards for catering equipment.

''Plans are under way to introduce catering equipment which must conform to ISO standards,'' Mr V N Mathur, Member. Traffic Railway Board told reporters here.

Conceding that there had been a host of complaints against the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a subsidiary of Indian Railways in charge of catering on trains, Mr Mathur said stringent quality control measures were in the process of being introduced to improve catering.

Listing the new measures, he said new supervisors would be appointed to monitor the quality of food being served in Indian Railways.

''We are soon going to introduce ISO standards for catering equipment,'' he said, pointing out that contracts of a number of old contractors had been terminated.

IRCTC has already chalked out plans to have a network of over 80 base kitchen stations on the lines of airline base kitchens to prepare thousands of meals everyday for rail passengers.

The move has come in the wake of complaints from passengers about lack of quality and hygiene in the food served by the pantry cars.

At the base kitchen stations, food would be prepared, packed in the most systematic manner and loaded on to trains.

It also plans to empanel food experts from five star hotels to advise it on revamping catering facilities and cuisine. The experts are to help Railways set up food plazas at major railway stations.

The beginning has already been made with one such food plaza at Kolkata station. IRCTC will soon invite proposals from five-star chains for setting similar plazas and improving food quality in trains, he added.

It is also in talks with various fast food chains like McDonalds, Cafe Coffee Day, Yo China, Pepsi and Nescafe to set up food joints and dispensing machines at railway stations.

Irked over persistent reports of poor quality and unhygienic food being served on trains, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad recently sent IRCTC CMD P K Goel on ''long leave till further orders''.

Delhi High Court has also pulled up IRCTC for its failure to improve the quality and hygiene of food being served in trains.

IRCTC was recently forced to terminate a contract with a private party after a TV channel showed the caterer transporting food items in the lavatory of the Patna-Delhi Garib Rath.

UNI