New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Attachment of pantry car in any train is based on factors such as availability, load limitation and journey time, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a written reply, responded to questions related to quality and price of food in trains and stations.

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Haris Beeran, Rajya Sabha MP from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), raised questions regarding the government's initiative "to conduct regular inspection of catering services in trains to maintain the quality and price of food served in trains and railway stations" as well as trains running without pantry car or catering services.

"Attachment of pantry car in any train is based on factors such as availability of pantry cars, load limitation, journey time of the train, etc. Catering services in trains running without pantry cars are provided through Train Side Vending and Static Units at en-route stations," Vaishnaw said.

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He added, "In addition, passengers travelling in trains can also avail of food of their choice through e-Catering services, which are available at major en-route stations."

Highlighting quality control of food items and regulation of their prices, the Union minister said regular and surprise inspections were conducted by Indian Railways and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) officials in trains and stations to check and ensure that catering services were provided according to the laid-down standards.

"It is also ensured that food items are sold at notified tariff. In addition, special inspection drives are also carried out with focus on aspects such as quality, price, etc. Prompt and appropriate punitive action, including imposition of fines, disciplinary action, counselling, warning etc is taken in case of catering related complaints," Vaishnaw said.

He provided several measures that had been taken for the improvement in catering services over the Indian Railways network such as the supply of meals from designated base kitchens, commissioning of modern base kitchens at identified locations and installation of CCTV cameras in base kitchens for better monitoring of food preparation, among others.

As on December 7, a total of 611 base kitchens have been commissioned across the Indian Railways network, Vaishnaw said.

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