Food vendors face the heat from Southern Railways

Officials have closed over 50 shops and terminated their licences, mostly for overcharging and supply of poor quality food to traveller’s, at its stations in Chennai division this year. DTNext has reliably learnt that 40 stalls did not even qualify for renewal of licence due to bad performance, which includes frequent complaints from public and resultant imposition of penalty. 

Apart from selling water bottles and snacks at more than MRP, another common complaint has been sale of inferior quality food and packaged food even after the end of their shelf life at stalls. 

This apart, shutters of another 40 were permanently downed due to expiry of temporary licence. Most of these licensed vendors have been doing business for years together, some for even two decades by coaxing a particular union that wields influence among officials, till the commercial managers pulled up their socks recently.

Such is the profitability of the business that around 30 licensees had dragged Southern Railway to the High Court only to see their writ petition being dismissed by the court. From a few hundred rupees a day at wayside remote stations, some shops at prime locations like Chennai central and egmore make as high as a few thousands per day. 

“Out of 48 stalls which were considered for renewal, only eigh were renewed for three years (original licence period 5 years) based on performance. Rest were shown the door,” a senior railway officer told this paper under condition of anonymity. 

“Our cleanliness drives will not serve any purpose if we clean toilets and platforms, while we allow vendors to sell expired products or substandard quality food to travellers, which are equally harmful to the people. Hence we have taken a very uncompromising stand on quality of service, particularly eatables sold to the people to the public,” a senior railway officer explained.