Newstrack

IRCTC goes on junk food diet

EH Staff -New Delhi

Under fire from the Delhi Hgih court for the "unhygienic" state of railway pantry cars, the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to seek the services of food chains McDonald's and Nirula's.

A surprise check by a court-appointed committee in November had revealed the nauseating state of kitchens in Jammu Rajdhan, Karnataka Express, Chhattisgarh Express, Purushottam Express, Punjab Mail and Swaraj Express trains. Following this, the court had sought a report from the IRCTC. Additional Solicitor-General Milon Banerjee, appearing for the corporation, told the court that 150 locations have been identified to set up kitchens from where food will be loaded onto the trains. The IRCTC, he said, is also finalising contracts with McDonald's and Nirula's in developing some of the base kitchens. Cooking inside the pantry cars will be kept to a minimum, keeping in mind the difficulty in maintaining cleanliness, he said. The IRCTC also held a meeting on the issue of hygiene and quality. Banerjee said a cleanliness drive was launched in two phases in December 2006 and January 2007.