Audit slams Railways on food quality:

Audit slams Railways on food quality: (The Hindu)

Context

• A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in Parliament has found severe deficiencies in the catering services of the Indian Railways.

The result of Joint inspection

• There are deficiencies in respect of quality of food served were noticed.
• The food available to travelers are unsuitable for human consumption, contaminated foodstuff, shelf life expired packaged and bottled items, unauthorized brands of water bottles, etc.,
• The joint inspection was done on the selected 74 stations and 80 trains over Zonal Railways.

The Report

• The audit reports claimed that cleanliness and hygiene standards were not being maintained in the catering units at stations and on trains.
• Unpurified water straight from the tap are being used in preparation of beverages;
• Waste bins were found not covered, not emptied regularly, and not washed;
• Foodstuffs were not covered to protect them from flies, insects and dust;
• Rats and cockroaches were found in trains.
• Unfair trade practices at stations and in trains.
• Bills were not provided for the food items served on trains;
• Waiters and catering managers on the trains did not carry printed menu cards with tariffs;
• The food served was less than the prescribed quantity;
• Unapproved packaged drinking water was sold;
• Proprietary Article Depot items were being sold in railway stations at their maximum retail prices.
• The report also found that the weights and prices of the items sold at railway stations were different from the open market, and that the unit price of food articles sold in railway premises was significantly higher.