Title - Northeast Frontier Railway earnings from catering service improves in 2011-12

GUWAHATI: The Northeast Frontier Railway has achieved a nearly four-fold jump in revenue from catering services during 2011-12 owing to better management and superivision of operations.

"During 2011-12, NFR earned Rs 8.57 crore as against Rs 1.83 crore earned during 2010-11 from pantry car catering system....which is a record breaking achievement," NF Railway Chief Public Relations Officer S Hajong said today.

He added that sales through static catering units at major stations under the NF Railway like New Tinsukia, Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri has also increased substantially after the Indian Railway took over catering units from the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

With a view to improve catering system in zone, the management of catering services was shifted from IRCTC to the zonal railways under the new Catering Policy 2010.

"The supervision and monitoring has been strengthened by the NF Railway by deploying railway personnel, who check quality and hygiene and take corrective action in a time-bound manner," Hajong said.

A Catering Monitoring Cell at the NF Railway headquarters in Maligaon, Guwahati, and divisional levels have been set up, which work round the clock to redress the passenger grievances.

Over 80 staff members deployed in both static and mobile catering units have been trained in catering skills under a collaboration with the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition Guwahati.

During the last financial year, about 331 special inspections were carried out and Rs 1.80 lakh were recovered as penalty from defaulting vending units, Hajong said.