Passengers complain about poor quality food served on Deccan Queen
Officials say, they have taken cognisance of the matter and have appointed a person to monitor the food quality and its servings in the central kitchen and also on board the train
Passengers travelling in Deccan Queen (between Mumbai and Pune) are not happy with the food served by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Several passengers are complaining about the poor quality of the food and even took to social media to vent their anger.
On September 30, a couple of passengers tweeted to IRCTC and Indian Railways about the unpalatable food served on the train.
The Tweet by one of the passengers read, “This is the sad cutlet served in Deccan Queen, which once was known for its crispy, crunchy ones made with enough vegetables besides potato... This food from IRCTC is a TOTAL disgrace to what Deccan Queen and its pantry stood for.”
“Passengers have been sending the ordered cutlets and omelettes back to the pantry, almost every week,” said one of the servers on the train, requesting anonymity.
“The food quality has deteriorated miserably and the evening snacks served on board have been the worst ever since they opened the dining car,” said advocate Mahesh Limaye, a regular commuter.
“I have been travelling on the Deccan Queen for more than 15 years now. Earlier, the snacks and dishes like cutlets, cheese omelette and cheese toast were some of the highest selling dishes and the most sought after for their taste and quality, but sadly that is completely lost now – al we get as options are cold soggy cutlets and burned omelettes with dry bread, which is often stale,” said another passenger, advocate Rajesh More.
Anil Shitole, another regular commuter said, “The new look of the Deccan Queen is excellent from outside but in reality, the seats are the most uncomfortable, there are no attendants for the chair cars. There is no hot breakfast served either. Earlier, when it was a working pantry, they offered options such as like upma and freshly made omelettes which were served hot; now all we get are cold omelettes and oily cutlets.”
Pinakin Morawala, joint general manager, IRCTC, said, “We have taken cognisance of the matter and have appointed a person to monitor the food quality and its servings in the central kitchen and also on board the train.”
“IRCTC has stopped cooking food inside the pantry coaches after orders were issued by the minister of railways. But we are trying to give the passengers the best we can, by preparing food in a controlled environment, and making some changes after we are able to review where we went wrong with the service and food,” he said.