Overcharging passengers onboard a train is not a new thing for private catering service providers of Indian Railways. Every now and then, people can be seen complaining about bad food or inflated bills. Though the railways had come up with ‘No Bill, No Payment’ initiative to encourage passengers to seek a bill every time they purchase things and also to discourage malpractices, however, the same has failed to yield the desired results, indicating the recurrence of such incidents.
In another such incident, a passenger of Brahmaputra Express was asked to pay Rs 150 for the Rs 80 veg thali. However, when the customer refused to pay the amount until a proper bill was provided, the vendor agreed to accept the original payment amount.
“The IRCTC dinner person told us the price of veg thali to be Rs 150. We clearly told him we would need the bill. When he brought the bill he bifurcated the amount into two components veg thali- Rs 80 + paneer sabji Rs 70 =Rs 150. We asked him to make the bill only for veg thali as we ordered just that,” said the passenger while tagging the IRCTC and Railways on X (formerly Twitter).
The passenger said that the vendor kept arguing that the bill was prepared this way only. “After an hour, his official came and said he couldn’t give the promised bill. They gave us a bill for veg thali Rs 80 and asked us to pay this much only. Clearly, the staff is looting the public by giving the meal overpriced and then adding other components to the bill. Please look into this as this kind of behaviour is tarnishing the image of Indian Railways,” said the passenger.
To this, the railways sought the passengers’ PNR number and within three hours, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) returned with the action taken report. “Ma’am, thanks for highlighting the matter. It is viewed seriously. A hefty penalty has been imposed on service provider. Also, the concerned licensee staff involved in overcharging has been deboarded,” said the IRCTC.
Ma’am, thanks for highlighting the matter it is viewed seriously. A hefty penalty has been imposed on service provider . Also, the concerned licensee staff involved in overcharging has been deboarded.
— IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) December 9, 2023
The incident shows that while the Indian Railways and the IRCTC remain committed to providing customers with better services, the private vendors are not only looting the public but are also tarnishing the image of the railways.