Train passengers to get free food if denied bill

PUNE: No bill, no payment — this is the new rule being enforced on all food vendors at the railway stations.

Food vendors at railway stations, including the Pune station, will now have to produce valid bills against all purchases, in absence of which, the food will have to be given free of cost to the buyer. This is a new initiative launched by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to cut down on complaints related to food vendors charging more and to tackle the menace of unauthorized vendors at stations. As a part of the initiative, IRCTC executives are making announcements at stations and on the trains urging passengers to demand bills.

“The IRCTC’s wants more passengers to utilize its catering services without facing the risk of being overcharged or misled. This will also curb the unauthorized vendors,” Pinakin Morawala, the IRCTC spokesperson, told TOI.

“Passengers are being told that they should always buy food from authorized IRCTC food vendors and demand valid bills. If the vendors do not provide bills, the passengers must, under no circumstances, pay,” the official said.

“We have been trying to end the menace of unauthorized hawkers, but they are still operating. Recently, we even asked the IRCTC to start train-side vending for the passengers. However, there have been complaints from passengers that at times, even the IRCTC vendors overcharge. The IRCTC has a fixed price of all the food items sold, including water. If the passengers start asking for bills, we will be able to ascertain if the vendor is from the IRCTC or not,” an official said.

Passengers still have some doubts. “If an IRCTC vendor refuses to give a bill and argues with a passenger, what can the we do?” asked Anant Joshi.

The railway official said every train has a train captain and their numbers have been made public. “Once a complaint is filed, strict action will be initiated against the vendor,” the official said.