RAIL FOODS AT PETROL BUNKS? IRCTC'S NEW STRATEGY

It is a "startling" news of the New Year that the railway catering specialist IRCTC is mulling over extending its arm beyond the trains and the platforms of Indian Railways seeking greener pastures so that it can justify its existence. Railway Board, whether in its wisdom or recklessness, took over catering services in the trains from IRCTC purportedly on account of persistent complaints from the traveling public regarding indifferent quality of foods served by the latter in some of the prestigious trains. Whether this move has satisfied the passengers is a moot question as they have no option but to eat whatever is offered by whoever has the licenses to do it. But IRCTC with a large infrastructure and personnel with experience in catering is left with no choice but to seek to diversify its activities beyond the trains and the stations. The news of IRCTC planning to establish food outlets in petrol bunks, Malls and other public places is welcome in one way that it is utilizing its experience to justify its existence as a viable entity in the public sector. Here is the take on this new development. 

"After complaints related to poor quality food being served to passengers began pouring in, the Indian Railways (IR) took over from the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) the job of arranging food on its long-distance trains. Unfazed by the move, the IRCTC, a Miniratna company in its bid to recover the losses it suffered, will now be trying its hand at opening food stalls, multi-cuisine cafeterias and food courts at petrol pumps and outside shopping malls in the city. To do so, IRCTC had hired professionals from the catering and hotel industry to check out whether the idea of serving food beyond railway stations and platforms is feasible or not. At present, the IRCTC is on the lookout for spaces for inaugurating food courts and cafeterias at different locations all across the city. "We have already signed a memorandum of understanding with Hindustan Petroleum for setting up our cafeterias at their petrol pumps. These outlets will be operational after April," said an IRCTC official, requesting anonymity. Sources added that the IRCTC is looking forward to similar tie-ups with other petroleum giants, such as Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil, and have initiated talks for the same. Apart from petrol pumps, IRCTC is also exploring the option of starting food stalls outside multiplexes, shopping complexes and malls, and is keen on hiring contractors who can provide it with regional delicacies. Currently, IRCTC runs a food stall at BARC and at Loni in Pune district". 

One disturbing question about this decision is whether the bad publicity IRCTC gained in railway catering will strain its credibility as a standard operator vying with established food chains. The biggest problem that was troubling IRCTC was the rigid bureaucratic management style and government connections that hampered its style of functioning. However with less constraints in public catering area and no pressure of time IRCTC has the potential to perform better, though government controlled businesses invariably languish for many obvious reasons. One can only wish the organization better luck for its venture out side Indian trains and railway stations!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

  

"NEW" RAILWAY CATERING POLICY-OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLE?

Indian Railways (IR) can rightly claim to be a gigantic behemoth but with little control on its "arms and limbs". If statistics can tell a story IR has a fantastic national foot print connecting various regions in the country, costing the citizen practically nothing, its fares being very low compared to other modes of transport. Whether IR measures up to the expectation of the citizen is another matter and as is usual with all government controlled bodies, IR is a highly bureaucratized agency with very little autonomy to decide any thing on its own and naturally this is reflected in all its services. Food catering service to millions of travelers in thousands of trains every day is no exception with no one happy with the quality and cost of food served both inside the trains as well as at most of the Railway Stations where many trains halt for brief duration. The separate agency set up for this service , viz Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) seems to have failed the traveling public which necessitated the parent body IR to take over the function. Here is a take on this comic circus being indulged by the IR to throw dust over the eyes of the hapless customers.

Seeking to allay apprehensions of members over the new catering policy of the railways, Government today said it aimed at improving quality of food and services to passengers. The government decided to implement the new policy last year in view of a spate of complaints regarding quality of food and services under the earlier arrangement with the IRCTC, Minister of State for Railways Bharat Singh Solanki said in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. "The reason behind bringing this new policy was that people should get quality food at reasonable price. The decision was taken because there was a public perception that the corporation was charging more money and better food could be made available at that cost," he said. The minister said the vendors are engaged by licencees on their own terms and conditions and Railways do not have any contractual relations with the vendors appointed by the licencees, both erstwhile and present. "Even though the licencee may change, the vendors are always working with the new licencees....as per the Catering Policy 2010, all existing operationalised catering licences for minor units have been permitted renewal, subject to satisfactory performance and payment of all dues, which will take care of interests of such vendors," he added.

It is interesting to note that it was left to a junior minister of GOI to speak about catering in the Rajya Sabha reflecting the low priority accorded to food service in the mind of the Railway Minister of cabinet rank! In what way IR can perform the service better than IRCTC under the new policy can be imagined knowing well the mindset of "babudom" that runs the ministry from top to bottom. In a scam scorched country like India will any "babu" take a serious decision on reforms for fear of being hauled up for corruption. Demolishing some thing is easy but building a more efficient system is fraught with umpteen number of hurdles in the form of red tapism and rigid set of rules of archaeological vintage! This blogger had suggested several times in the past that catering in Railways must be entrusted to well reputed food industry players who can provide good quality foods besides taking the responsibility of safety to the traveling public. A government service can never be expected to be of class as proved by the flopping of several hotels under the tourism ministry during the last few years and junking of many food processing units being run by the States. When will the GOI learn the bitter truth that "running a business is none of the business" of any government? Why not take a lesson from past failures and think differently for the sake of millions of people who are forced to travel by trains under the IR due to many reasons to make the travel at least enjoyable gastronomically!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FOOD PROBLEMS OF THE INDIAN RAILWAYS-FINDING A SCAPE GOAT?

The catering in Indian trains has been an issue that was being debated since time immemorial and if some of the officials of Railway Board are to be believed, the foods offered in some of the important trains are of world quality! The responsibility of railway catering was passed on the IRCTC, a specialized arm of the Indian Railways (IR) with the fond hope that there would be marked improvements in service because of the professional background of the catering personnel deployed by this agency. Unfortunately for various reasons IR was not able to satisfy the traveling public with complaints piling up day after day from the dissatisfied customers. Considering that not even 10% of the affected customers choose to file an official complaint the grouse against food quality must be almost universal which needs to be addressed by IR. It is against this context that IR decided to divest IRCTC of the catering responsibility recently.

"The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was squarely blamed by the Ministry of Railways for all the muddle created in the catering services at the railway stations and the trains pushing the railways to go in for a fresh catering policy. The move was initiated as the criticism on the food quality provided in the trains becoming huge and the lobbying for acquiring the catering. The Chairman of the Railway Board, Vivek Sahai, said that the railways would ensure availability of good food with lesser rates and better quality for its travellers with the profitability not being the criteria as per the new policy. IRCTC was formed under the leadership of Mamta Banerjee when she became the minister for railways for the first time and the board member of the railways as the chairman making him cautious to defend the new policy. He further said that the IRCTC did not take any suitable actions for the ever increasing complaints about the food quality. Though the responsibility for the food quality served by the railways lied with the IRCTC, the railways were being held responsible which led to the board itself taking in charge of the catering services. He also added that the failure of the present policy makes the introduction of a fresh policy for catering services all the more necessary. Mr Sahai said that the IRCTC supplied sub standard food at the stations and on the trains as it could not supervise the work efficiently. Under the new policy, the Zonal railways would be made responsible for the food quality and supervision. Due to this move, IRCTC would be left with only i-ticket and e-ticket business and also the internal mineral water operations, Rail-Neer and had to forego the catering business valued at Rs 400 crore".

It is not clear as to how the bureaucratic zonal railway officials would be able to a better job than the experienced IRCTC. The typical knee-jerk response of the present railway regime is fraught with great risks and the food "fiasco" is going to be more serious in the coming days. It is not clear whether various zonal railways are going to create specialized teams in each zone and how coordination is going to be achieved. At least now there is whipping boy to take the responsibility for mishaps and inferior quality of service and the traveling public going to be much worse than to day under the new dispensation. IR must not yield to such "political" skulduggery to buy temporary peace with its millions of clientele spanning the country.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com