RULES, RULES & MORE RULES
With complaints galore about the poor quality of catering in IR, it is interesting to see the "technical specifications" formulated by IR regarding food items. I am therefore reposting an old entry of mine dated 7th August 2010, which is amusing, to say the least.
"In India we have a lot of rules and guidelines for the benefit of consumers like IR passengers and yet the reality checks reveal something different. I was very amused to read passenger information in one of the latest Zonal Railway Timetables about...
more... quality of al a carte items sold in Railway Stations and I quote:
Branded approved beverages and PAD (?) items should be sold as per MRP.
-- Water glasses as per ISI specification for packaged drinking water.
-- Chicken - No neck or wing pieces should be served.
-- Paneer&Curd Manufactured by Co-operative Dairy Societies or branded
should be used.
-- Basmati Rice of reputed brands such as India Gate, Rajdhani, Lal Quila, Shri Lal
Mahal, Dawat or Kohinoor or similar brand may be used.
-- Spices of reputed brand such as Catch, MDH, Kitchen King, Everest, Suruchi,
Rajdhani or similar should be used.
-- Pulses - V-needs, Reliance Select, More, National Co-operative Consumer
Federation of India(NCCFI), NAFED or similar brand may be used.
-- Atta Ashirvad, V-needs, Shakti Bhog, Pilsbury, Rajdhani, Reliance-Select or
similar brand may be used.
-- Bread/Bun Harvest, Brittania, Bonn or similar brands should be used.
-- Packaging - Attractive, presentable in food grade container wrapped in cling
film. Stickers indicating item, weight, rate and date of manufacture to be
pasted.
-- Service - food grade disposable spoon & soft tissue napkin. UNQUOTE
What is the need to convey such information to passengers? Are they in a position to verify if these guidelines are being implemented and are the vendors really adhering to these quality standards?
During the emergency in 1975-77, the then Tamilnadu Govt. laid down the maximum rates chargeable by hotels/restaurants in the state for popular food items like idlis, vadas, dosas etc. Almost all items were covered under this "JANATA AHAR SCHEME"
How the hoteliers responded was by reducing the size of the items. For example the hole in the middle of the vada became much bigger than usual and it resembled one of the outer jalebi rings. The Govt. again retaliated by prescibing the minimum weights of each item say One idli of at least 25 gms. weight.
A large enforcement machinery of Food Inspectors was created. They frequently visited eating joints and helped themselves to free food there in the name of quality control and also left with packed food for their family members at home.
All this of course is history but in India, history has a bad habit of repeating itself."
