IRCTC removes local items from the menu in Kerala stations
On Tuesday, IRCTC announced to restore the menu across railway stations in Kerala, pulling out an order to remove popular local cuisine across refreshment rooms in the southern region. The decision had come in for severe criticism.
Previously, on Tuesday Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden said he had received a positive response from IRCTC managing director when he spoke to the latter on phone about the withdrawal of some infamous Kerala-based delicacies and snacks from the updated menu of vegetarian refreshment rooms across railway stations in Kerala.
Infamous items like Puttu (Steamed rice cake), Pazham pori (banana fritters), appam (hoppers), Kadala curry (black chickpea curry), egg curry, bajji (fritters) and few sweets like unniyappam and sukhiyan were found to be excluded from the revised food menu. It is not clear whether these items have refrained from the menu on-board trains as well. Additionally, the IRCTC has nodded off on a steep surge in the price of vegetarian meals from Rs 35 to Rs 70.
MP Eden said, “I spoke to IRCTC MD RP Mall over the phone, and he heard our concerns genuinely. He said that he would speak to his officers as well as consult us before taking a decision within a week. I told him that local cuisine including puttu and egg curry has been excluded. He promised that the issue would be resolved within a week. They didn’t clarify on why these items were excluded. I think the tenders are given to companies and a standard menu may have been prescribed. There’s an influence of a North Indian lobby in this.”
The updated menu has items like kachori, vegetarian pakoda, mix veg pakoda and rajma chawal, which are unpopular items in Kerala. In addition to the hike in tariff of meals, the price of vada and other items had surged from Rs 8.50 per piece to Rs 15.
