The decision follows the recent visit of Railway Board chairman Satish Kumar to the IRCTC war room in New Delhi, where he reviewed catering services and stressed the need to ensure quality meals and high standards of hygiene.
According to IRCTC public relations officer V K Bhatti, ECR currently has 73 pantry car and train-side vending services operating in mail and express trains, while the number of base kitchens has increased to 62. The proposed CCTV network will enable round-the-clock monitoring of food preparation, packaging and supply in both pantry cars and base kitchens.
Bhatti said the initiative is aimed at bringing greater transparency and accountability to railway catering services with the help of artificial intelligence-enabled technology. Under ECR, base kitchens and food supply facilities are located at key stations, including Patna Junction, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Danapur and Patliputra, from where meals and breakfast are supplied to passengers travelling on long-distance and premium trains.
Sources said AI-enabled surveillance will help monitor adherence to prescribed cleanliness and quality standards, identify shortcomings and facilitate prompt corrective action.
Passengers can continue to lodge complaints related to food quality, hygiene or catering services through the Rail Madad platform, which operates round the clock. A senior ECR official said the CCTV-based monitoring system would further strengthen passenger services and improve the overall travel experience.
Meanwhile, IRCTC recorded its highest-ever online ticket booking figures on Sept 7, when 20.06 lakh journey tickets were booked across the country. Another 19.50 lakh tickets were booked on Sept 8, a surge attributed to heavy demand ahead of Diwali and Chhath festivals, Bhatti said.
The CCTV-based monitoring initiative will place food preparation, packaging and supply at ECR’s pantry cars and base kitchens under round-the-clock surveillance, strengthening transparency and accountability in railway catering services.
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