Lok Sabha Question No. 1606 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-19
Subject: Poor Quality of Food
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, RODMAL NAGAR, R.P. MARUTHARAJAA, REKHA ARUN VERMA, ABHISHEK SINGH, LALLU SINGH, GOPAL CHINAYYA SHETTY, B.V. NAYAK, ANIRUDHAN SAMPATH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1606 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.12.2018

## POOR QUALITY OF FOOD

## †1606. SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI NAGAR RODMAL:

SHRI R.P. MARUTHARAJAA:

SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA:

SHRI ABHISHEK SINGH:

SHRI LALLU SINGH:

SHRI GOPAL SHETTY:

SHRI B.V. NAIK:

DR. A. SAMPATH:

## Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  zone-wise  details  of  the  complaints  including  the  complaints from  Members  of  Parliament  received  by  the  Railways  regarding serving  of  poor  quality  meal,  contaminated  water  and  violation  of guidelines in trains as well as at railway stations during the current year;
- (b) the action taken/penalty imposed by the Government in every such case especially against the license holding vendors;
- (c) whether  the  Railways  has  developed  any  mechanism  to  provide safe,  healthy  and  nutritious  food  in  the  trains  as  well  as  at  the railway stations;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Railways to provide hygienic and safe food in trains and at railway stations?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) to (e) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1606  BY  SHRI  GAJANAN  KIRTIKAR, SHRI  NAGAR  RODMAL,    SHRI  R.P.  MARUTHARAJAA,    SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA,  SHRI ABHISHEK SINGH,  SHRI LALLU SINGH,  SHRI GOPAL  SHETTY,    SHRI  B.V.  NAIK  AND    DR.  A.  SAMPATH  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  19.12.2018  REGARDING  POOR QUALITY OF FOOD

- (a) & (b): Strict action is taken against contractors/suppliers whenever any complaint regarding poor quality of food is substantiated. Accordingly,  the  zone-wise  details  of  the  complaints  including  the complaints from Members of Parliament received by the Railways and the  action  taken/penalty  imposed  during  the  current  year  period (01.01.2018 to 31.10.2018) are appended.
- (c) to (e): To provide  safe, healthy and quality food to passengers, a new Catering  Policy  has  been  issued  on  27 th   February  2017.  As  per Catering Policy 2017, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has been mandated to carry out unbundling by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution on trains. To ensure  hygienic and safe  food    to  passengers,  following  measures  have  been  taken  by Railways:
- (i) To upgrade quality of food preparation, IRCTC is setting up new kitchens  and  upgrading  existing  ones.    To  ensure  centralized monitoring of the kitchen activities, CCTVs have been installed in Base Kitchens/Kitchen Units. Sharing of live streaming of the Base  Kitchens  through  website  of  IRCTC  has  been  made operational.
- (ii) To  ensure  compliance  of  Food  Safety  Norms,  Food  Safety  and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certification from

Designated Food Safety Officers of each catering unit is mandatory.  Food  Safety  Supervisors  have  been  deployed  at Kitchen  Units  to  monitor  food  safety  and  hygienic  practices. Food samples collected by Food Safety Officers/Supervisors are sent  to  the  nominated  accredited  Laboratories  under  Food Safety  &  Standard  Act  for  analysis  and  testing.  Penalties  are imposed  in  cases  of  detection  of  unsatisfactory  food  samples and  prosecutions  are  carried  out  as  per  provisions  of  Food Safety & Standard Rule -2011.

- (iii) Examination of quality of food, hygiene and cleanliness in Pantry Cars  and  Kitchen  Units  is  done  through  Third  Party  Audit. Customer  satisfaction  survey  is  also  conducted  through  Third Party Agencies.
- (iv) Regular  and  surprise  inspections  are  conducted  by  railway officials including Food Safety Officers. Detailed instructions/guidelines have been issued to the Zonal Railways for conducting inspections.
- (v) Apart  from  above,    to  ensure    hygienic  and  safe  food    to passengers following recent initiatives have also been taken by Railways:-
- (a) Introduction  of  Optional  Catering  and  Ready  to  Eat  (RTE) Meals on selected trains.
- (b) Introduction  of  Eco-friendly  Sugar  Bagasse  (Biodegradable) packaging material.
- (c) Provision of Service trolleys in Rajdhani and Duronto trains.
- (d) Provision  of  Hand  sanitizers  in  Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto trains.

(e) Introduction  of  Automatic  vending  machines  on  Humsafar trains. (f) Provision  of  tablets  to  on  board  catering  supervisors  for passenger feedback and inspection applications. (g) Provision of variety of cuisines through Food Plazas and Food Units over Indian Railways.

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APPENDIX REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) AND (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1606 BY SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR, SHRI NAGAR RODMAL, SHRI R.P.  MARUTHARAJAA,   SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA,  SHRI ABHISHEK SINGH,  SHRI LALLU SINGH,  SHRI GOPAL SHETTY,  SHRI B.V. NAIK AND DR.  A.  SAMPATH  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  19.12.2018 REGARDING POOR QUALITY OF FOOD.

(a)  &  (b): The zone-wise details of the complaints including the complaints from Members of Parliament received by the Railways regarding serving of poor quality meal, contaminated water and violation of guidelines in trains as  well  as  at  railway  stations  during  the  current  year  (01.01.2018  to 31.10.2018) and the actions taken thereof are as under;

|                     |                    | Action Taken   | Action Taken                 | Action Taken   | Action Taken   | Action Taken     | Action Taken      | Action Taken   | Action Taken   | Action Taken   |
|---------------------|--------------------|----------------|------------------------------|----------------|----------------|------------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| Zonal Railway       |                    | Fined          | Fined                        |                |                | Suitably Advised | Not Substantiated | AR Action      | Other          |                |
|                     | No. Of Compl aints | No. of cases   | Amount of Fine Imposed ( ₹ ) | Warned         | Termination    |                  |                   | D &            | Any            | Total          |
| Central             | 88                 | 27             | 3,35,500                     | 8              | 0              | 17               | 12                | 0              | 24             | 88             |
| East Central        | 235                | 170            | 5,67,000                     | 3              | 0              | 3                | 0                 | 1              | 58             | 235            |
| East Coast          | 82                 | 33             | 54,500                       | 36             | 0              | 5                | 3                 | 0              | 5              | 82             |
| Eastern             | 2                  | 1              | 500                          | 0              | 0              | 0                | 1                 | 0              | 0              | 2              |
| North Central       | 80                 | 33             | 2,56,000                     | 3              | 0              | 2                | 24                | 1              | 17             | 80             |
| North Eastern       | 51                 | 22             | 31,000                       | 9              | 0              | 0                | 18                | 2              | 0              | 51             |
| North-east Frontier | 14                 | 1              | 50,000                       | 0              | 0              | 0                | 0                 | 0              | 13             | 14             |
| Northern            | 134                | 50             | 5,21,500                     | 8              | 0              | 5                | 39                | 8              | 24             | 134            |
| North Western       | 135                | 70             | 4,81,500                     | 10             | 0              | 6                | 11                | 0              | 38             | 135            |
| South Central       | 6                  | 0              | 0                            | 1              | 0              | 4                | 1                 | 0              | 0              | 6              |
| South East Central  | 20                 | 12             | 8,500                        | 3              | 0              | 0                | 5                 | 0              | 0              | 20             |
| South Eastern       | 4                  | 4              | 46,000                       | 0              | 0              | 0                | 0                 | 0              | 0              | 4              |
| Southern            | 118                | 41             | 1,62,000                     | 7              | 0              | 12               | 6                 | 0              | 52             | 118            |

|                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                               | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                  |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                               | Fined                                                                                                                                         | Fined                                                                                                                                         |                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                               | Suitably Advised                                                                                                                              |                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                               |
| Zonal Railway                                                                                                                                 | No. Of Compl aints                                                                                                                            | No. of cases                                                                                                                                  | Amount of Fine Imposed ( ₹ )                                                                                                                  | Warned                                                                                                                                        | Termination                                                                                                                                   |                                                                                                                                               | Not Substantiated                                                                                                                             | D & AR Action                                                                                                                                 | Any Other                                                                                                                                     | Total                                                                                                                                         |
| South Western                                                                                                                                 | 105                                                                                                                                           | 52                                                                                                                                            | 2,50,008                                                                                                                                      | 5                                                                                                                                             | 0                                                                                                                                             | 31                                                                                                                                            | 6                                                                                                                                             | 0                                                                                                                                             | 11                                                                                                                                            | 105                                                                                                                                           |
| West Central                                                                                                                                  | 74                                                                                                                                            | 63                                                                                                                                            | 5,19,500                                                                                                                                      | 2                                                                                                                                             | 1                                                                                                                                             | 0                                                                                                                                             | 8                                                                                                                                             | 0                                                                                                                                             | 0                                                                                                                                             | 74                                                                                                                                            |
| Western                                                                                                                                       | 120                                                                                                                                           | 37                                                                                                                                            | 2,89,000                                                                                                                                      | 20                                                                                                                                            | 0                                                                                                                                             | 39                                                                                                                                            | 7                                                                                                                                             | 0                                                                                                                                             | 17                                                                                                                                            | 120                                                                                                                                           |
| Total (All Zones)                                                                                                                             | 1268                                                                                                                                          | 616                                                                                                                                           | 35,72,508                                                                                                                                     | 115                                                                                                                                           | 1                                                                                                                                             | 124                                                                                                                                           | 141                                                                                                                                           | 12                                                                                                                                            | 259                                                                                                                                           | 1268                                                                                                                                          |
| IRCTC                                                                                                                                         | 6261                                                                                                                                          | 1875                                                                                                                                          | 1,19,55,265                                                                                                                                   | 2207                                                                                                                                          | 0                                                                                                                                             | 981                                                                                                                                           | 414                                                                                                                                           | 0                                                                                                                                             | 784                                                                                                                                           | 6261                                                                                                                                          |
| Grand Total (All Zones + IRCTC)                                                                                                               | 7529                                                                                                                                          | 2491                                                                                                                                          | 1,55,27,773                                                                                                                                   | 2322                                                                                                                                          | 1                                                                                                                                             | 1105                                                                                                                                          | 555                                                                                                                                           | 12                                                                                                                                            | 1043                                                                                                                                          | 7529                                                                                                                                          |
| * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging | * WCR - Termination TSV Contract M/s Doon Caterers of Train No. 12121-22 terminated on 04.01.2018 due to repeated complaints of 'Overcharging |

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