Indian Railways plans to strengthen catering checks and take faster action on complaints received through Rail Madad. The move is aimed at improving food quality, hygiene and accountability, while ensuring quicker response to passengers.

On Monday, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar reviewed the functioning of the IRCTC War Room at the IRCTC office, where he examined systems used to monitor catering services and passenger feedback. During the review, the Railway Board stressed the need to make the existing monitoring systems more responsive and technology-driven.

Rail Madad complaints to get closer monitoring

The Chairman directed that the Rail Madad interface be further automated so that passengers can communicate their concerns with the concerned system in a simple and convenient way.

Story continues below this ad

The Railway officials were also asked to closely monitor complaints received through Rail Madad. Wherever necessary, officials may directly interact with passengers to better understand their concerns and ensure that issues are addressed effectively.

The focus is expected to help improve the way passenger complaints related to catering and other services are tracked and resolved.

“To strengthen accountability of inspecting agencies, the CRB directed that each inspecting agency should systematically post details of deficiencies observed as well as performance during inspections, enabling their work to be continuously monitored and evaluated,” the Ministry of Railways said in a release.

More cameras to monitor railway kitchens

The review also focused on real-time monitoring of railway catering kitchens. At present, four camera feeds are available for monitoring kitchen operations.

Story continues below this ad

The Railway Board has directed that additional cameras be installed in raw material storage areas, along with PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras for wider surveillance of kitchen activities.

The camera feeds are also being used to identify kitchens where conditions need improvement. During the review, the kitchen at Anantapur in South Central Railway was identified as requiring improvement based on inspection and video monitoring.

The preparation of roti and paratha was also highlighted as an area requiring closer review. Officials were directed to examine the complete preparation process and identify any gaps that could affect quality.

Third-party inspections to face closer scrutiny

The Railway Board also reviewed the performance of third-party agencies involved in inspecting catering services.

Story continues below this ad

The Chairman directed that inspecting agencies should regularly record details of deficiencies found during inspections as well as their own performance. This will allow their work to be monitored and evaluated more closely.

“Agencies whose performance is found to be consistently ineffective should be reviewed for appropriate action, including delisting wherever warranted, to ensure that inspection mechanisms deliver the intended quality assurance,” reads the release.

AI alerts to be followed by action

The review also discussed the use of Artificial Intelligence-based monitoring systems to identify issues such as rodents, cockroaches and other deficiencies in catering facilities.

The Railway Board stressed that detecting a problem through AI should not be the end of the process. Such alerts should be followed by warning letters and appropriate corrective or deterrent action.

Story continues below this ad

“The review underscored the need for more effective inspections, stronger technology-enabled monitoring and prompt follow-up action to continuously improve the quality of railway catering services. The initiatives are aimed at strengthening passenger confidence, improving food quality and hygiene standards, and ensuring a more responsive and passenger-centric catering ecosystem across Indian Railways,” it said.