Better meals aboard trains soon: Rly chief

Ever wondered why the quality of food served in trains remains bad? Reason: Of the 1.5 lakh meals loaded into trains every day in Delhi, only 15,000 are prepared under any sort of supervision. The rest are sourced from numerous suppliers, without any quality control. Srinand Jha reports.

Ever wondered why the quality of food served in trains remains bad?

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Reason: Of the 1.5 lakh meals loaded into trains every day in Delhi, only 15,000 are prepared under any sort of supervision. The rest are sourced from numerous suppliers, without any quality control. The story is the same across the country.

Admitting that cleanliness and food have remained below par, Chairman of Railway Board Vivek Sahai promises change.

In the foreseeable future, passengers can expect to find good meals prepared and served to them hygienically.

"Passenger sensibilities will no longer be assaulted by the ghastly sights of food trays stacked up near toilets or on the compartment floor", Sahai said in an exclusive interview with HT.

Under the new policy, mega-kitchens equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment will be set up in Delhi and other major centres. Quality food will be prepared under strict monitoring of the Railway Board and meals will be served to passengers in trolleys, Sahai said.

Equipment worth hundreds of crores has been acquired for the CWG. The Railways is looking at possibilities of buying such cooking gadgetry after the Games are over.

Stepping up the pedal on the "green toilets" plan, the Railways have associated with the IIT, Kanpur and the DRDO for "technical inputs".