RAILWAY FOOD OVERCHARGING ACTION RULES
Indian Railway is not allowing any mode of overcharging for any food and beverages items in trains and at the stations even-though it is a common practice. Railway Food Overcharging action rules clearly described what is overcharging and types of overcharging, how, where can we complaint against overcharging, Rules against overcharging etc. Following are the details regarding all the above.
WHAT IS OVERCHARGING
Overcharging relates to the charges collected by service staff of mobile/static units of licensee/ departmental from passengers for any food and beverages items over and above approved rate or printed MRP prescribed/fixed by Railway Board. Lesser quantity served than what is prescribed is also overcharging.
- TYPES OF OVERCHARGING
- ACTIONS TO CONTROL OVERCHARGING
- SUGGESTIONS TO PASSENGERS
- Railway Latest Food Menu Rates
- Railway Customer Care Number
1. TYPES OF OVERCHARGING
- Overcharging on Tea and Coffee
- Overcharging on Meals
- Adding extra dish without order of passengers
- Charging on account of non availability of change
- Charging extra for chilled PDW bottle
- o Adding items to combo meals without order of passengers and not as per prescribed menu.
- Overcharging of PAD items over and above printed MRP
2.0 ACTIONS TO CONTROL OVERCHARGING
- Drive on overcharging
- Pasting of Bilingual Menu Stickers in Mail/Express trains
- Letter issued to licensees to stop overcharging
- Instructions to QCPs to cover this particular aspect in their inspections.
- Time to time counseling of licensees and their service staff.
- Punitive action against licensee on overcharging.
- Rounding off to amount in Rupee.
Food Billing Compulsory on Trains
2.1 Drive on overcharging
- The drive is conducted to check the overcharging by the licensee while serving various standard food items and proprietary articles food products such as packaged drinking water, biscuits, cold drinks, etc. These drives have resulted in drastic reduction of complaints from the passengers on quantity of food items and overcharging as stringent action has been taken against the defaulting licensee.
- Whenever Control Offices come across telephonic complaint on overcharging, the same are being redressed on-line by the concerned control office who interacts with the pantry car staff and passengers on the spot.
2.2 Complaint Management System (CMS) – Online Complaint
- On-line Complaint Management System has been introduced to facilitate the passengers for lodging their online complaint by logging on our website at www.irctc.com. Complaint is sent directly to the concerned licensee for immediate submission of comments. A unique complaint number is allotted to the complainant for viewing the status by the complainant at any time. An auto-generated reply with the unique complaint number is sent to the complainant mail id. This system is also assessable with all the Zonal/Regional/Corporate Officers. In addition to this, we are also in process of automizing inspections in CMS. QCPs and Railway officials will be able to directly feed in their inspections in Mobile and Static inspection formats in CMS.
2.3 National Toll Free No.
- A toll free no. 1800111139 has been launched for swift redressal of complaints and suggestions conveyed by passengers on phone. Passengers can call this no. from train as well without any charges and register their grievance/suggestion at complaint cells of Zonal control offices which are 24 x 7operational. The coverage of the toll free number has been done by some of the leading newspapers and the same is also printed in the menu cards and tray mats. An advertisement is also underway for nationwide publicity.
2.4 Complaints through SMS
- In order to facilitate another option of lodging complaint/suggestion by passenger, facility of receipt of complaint through SMS on 9711111139 has already been started. This will enable the travelling passengers to get their complaints redressed by quickest means.
2.5 Control Offices – 24 X 7 Operation
- In order to monitor the quality of catering services overall, Central Control has been set up at New Delhi which is fully equipped with Phone, Fax, PC with broadband connectivity and
- scanner and round the clock operational. All the zonal offices are also having Zonal control
- offices to monitor the quality of catering services. The control offices monitor the VIP movements, redressal of telephonic complaints as well as monitoring of tourism trains. In case of any abnormality of train operation, control offices informed all concerned service provider for making provision of catering services so as to avoid any public complaint. Our Zonal Control. Offices nos. and Central Control no. are as under:-
Control Office Numbers are as follows
- New Delhi: 011-23221147
- Mumbai: 022-22618067
- Kolkata: 033-26601743
- Chennai: 044-25353341
- Office at Secunderabad: 040-27716145
- Central Control: 011-23345300
2.6 Pasting of bi-lingual menu stickers to arrest Overcharging
- Time to Time, the drive for pasting of menu stickers are launched by Zonal/Regional officers to paste standard menu stickers in the coaches of Mail/Express trains so as to spread awareness among the travelling passengers on Rates and Quantity of meal items.
- The purpose of pasting the menu stickers in the coaches to bring awareness among the passengers on quantity and rates of meal items of the standard menu as well as other relevant information like Toll Free Number for lodging their grievances/suggestions, standard rates of tea/coffee, Rail Neer etc.
- Regarding passenger awareness about Rates and Quantity of standard meal items, service providers have been instructed to print tray mats in the Mail/Express trains nominated to them with Rates and Quantity printed on them.
3. SUGGESTIONS TO PASSENGERS
Railway suggestion Passengers to avoid Railway Food Overcharging Action Rules situation as follows
- Carry change to avoid overcharging.
- Demands bills/receipt, grammage
- Check MRP and date of expiry
- Buy food items only from stalls and not from unauthorized vendors either at platform
- or in train.
- Check the brand of packed items
- Demand complaint book
- Use Toll Free No. 1800-111-139 and SMS on 9971111139
- If you are not satisfied with the service do tell us on control nos.
- All Railway employees are at your service
LINK : RAILWAY OVER CHARGING RULES