M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 3: ‘Service charge’ called ‘as Kharcha Pani’ is bluntly being asked by the pantry car personnel in the prestigious Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express and Ranchi-Delhi Rajdhani Express trains for pre-paid refreshment, water and food.
This is an illegal demand because the Indian railways have not prescribed any service charge for food and water served on the Rajdhani express train because passengers pay for them when they book their ticket.
Rajdhani express train has a facility of ticket fare with a pre-paid bill for either the veg food or for the non-veg food which is served during the journey. But once the food is finished, the pantry car personnel stands before the passengers asking for a service charge or what they call ‘kharcha pani.’ When the passengers refuse to oblige, the pantry staff argue with them about the service charge.
Passengers told lagatar24.com that this now is a regular practice in the Rajdhani express train where pantry car personnel shamelessly ask for money for serving food and tea etc. They keep notes of Rs 50 and 100 tugged between their fingers which they flaunt to impress the passengers to give the same denomination amount as a tip for serving food.
For passengers of Daltonganj in the Rajdhani express train for Delhi, dinner is missed out by the pantry car personnel as barring one day, this train arrives here around 9.45 pm. It arrives at Daltonganj at 8.30 pm only once a week. And even passengers of this time slot are denied dinner despite the food charge paid in advance. And even if this train comes on time, other than the 8.30 slot, at the Daltonganj railway station, the passengers for Delhi by this train are not served the dinner. They get morning tea and refreshment only the other day.
The Rajdhani express train, which departs Delhi at 16.10 hours for Ranchi via Daltonganj, is only providing refreshments and dinner for passengers headed for Daltonganj. As this train’s Daltonganj headed passengers reach their destination before 5 am, hence tea and other refreshments are not available to them.
The extra money for serving food is demanded after the ice cream is served, said many passengers.
Former civil surgeon of Palamu Dr John F Kennedy told this correspondent that he and his wife recently travelled by the Rajdhani express for Delhi wherein they were asked by the pantry car personnel for money for serving them tea and refreshment.
Another passenger on June 1 was also asked for the kharcha pani by a staff member. He was adamant to have some money which was refused by the passenger as it would have created further trouble for other passengers.
Railway station superintendent at the Daltonganj railway station A K Tiwary when apprised of this service charge being illegally demanded by the Rajdhani express train pantry car personnel said he would inform the concerned senior officials in this regard. He said that this is malpractice which brings a bad name to the Rajdhani express train.
The fare for the Rajdhani express train comes close to domestic air flight but with this new kind of nuisance by the catering personnel passengers feel cheated said, other passengers.
This is not the only malady with the Rajdhani express train. Unauthorised passengers also travel and share berths.
On June 1/ 2 night long journey, the Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani express train had an emergency stoppage miles away from Pdt Deendayal Upadhayay railway junction (old name Moghulsarai junction).
It panicked the RPF escort party who later located a passenger whose leg had pressed the alarm chain causing this train to stop. This passenger was found sharing the upper berth with another passenger. He had no proper reservation for the seat on the train.
On facing these issues, people complain and say that those days are not far off when this train will be a train of miseries for the passengers.
