The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has intensified inspections across trains and railway stations to curb the sale of unapproved food and beverage products.
During recent enforcement drives, officials seized 8,349 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water from 168 trains in the Lucknow and Chandigarh regions, along with unauthorised ice creams, flavoured milk, beverages and other food items.
The operation is part of a wider nationwide drive involving Quick Response Teams (QRTs) working with railway commercial departments.
IRCTC said the inspections are intended to ensure compliance with food safety standards and provide passengers with safe, hygienic and quality food and beverages.
Over 8,300 Water Bottles Seized
The largest seizures were reported from the Lucknow and Chandigarh regions. Between July 28 and August 8, IRCTC officials and the Railway Commercial Department inspected 117 trains in the Lucknow region, recovering 5,241 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water.
In the Chandigarh region, teams checked 51 trains across stations including Ambala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Katra and Jammu, and seized another 3,108 bottles. Together, the two regions accounted for 8,349 bottles.
The checks also uncovered other unauthorised products. During two surprise inspections at Ambala on August 10, a QRT headed by IRCTC’s Chief Regional Manager, Chandigarh, seized 13 cartons of unapproved products, including ice cream and flavoured milk. At Saharanpur railway station, officials also found unauthorised ice creams, beverages and packaged drinking water.
Similar violations were detected at Sabarmati BG railway station, where unauthorised packaged water and buttermilk were found being loaded for train-side vending.
Checks Expand Beyond Northern India
The enforcement action is not limited to the Lucknow and Chandigarh regions. At Howrah, unauthorised food and beverage products were seized and disposed of during a surprise inspection on August 8.
IRCTC has said that QRTs have now been activated across all its zones and regions, with inspections being conducted in coordination with the concerned commercial departments of the Railways.
The purpose is not simply to remove individual products from circulation. IRCTC’s stated objective is to check the sale and service of unapproved food and beverages and ensure that catering operations comply with prescribed food safety standards.
Catering providers and vendors found violating applicable rules can face action, including penalties and other measures under the relevant contractual and railway provisions.
What Passengers Should Check Before Buying
For passengers, the crackdown highlights an everyday consumer issue: not every person selling food or water on a train necessarily represents an authorised railway catering service.
A sealed package may look legitimate, but passengers should still check the product label, packaging condition, expiry or best-before information and, where applicable, the seller’s credentials.
IRCTC’s own eCatering guidance advises passengers to use its official eCatering channels and authorised partners when ordering meals during train journeys.
This provides passengers with verified food outlets, billing and customer support, while reducing the risk associated with unauthorised sellers.
Passengers who encounter questionable food, water or vending practices should use official railway grievance channels rather than confronting vendors themselves.
The larger responsibility, however, rests with railway authorities and catering operators to make authorised vendors easily identifiable and to ensure that enforcement continues beyond periodic drives.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Passengers should not have to second-guess whether the water or food they purchase during a long train journey is authorised or safe.
The seizure of thousands of bottles and other food products shows why regular monitoring matters, but enforcement should be consistent, transparent and sustained across the railway network.
At the same time, consumers can protect themselves by choosing authorised sellers, checking packaged products carefully and reporting concerns through official channels.
Do you think Indian Railways should introduce a more visible and standardised system to help passengers instantly identify authorised food and water vendors?
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