NEWSNET ONE brings you the voices of everyday people talking about real life corruption. This was posted by Baldev Vakhara on social media

Want to share my personal experience – Last week I was travelling from Visakha Patnam to Howrah in Yesvantpur Howrah Express. Ordered Veg. meal from the pantry car, as per waiter it was *₹90/-* only.

I have always in mind that these people are charging very high for the meals but never took it seriously. But this time I determined to enquire about it.

Googled about the rate card and menu, found this website,:*IRCTC Help: IRCTC Latest Food Menu Rates* .

I was shocked when I saw the rates –  Veg meals which pantry car person was selling at ₹90/- is only *₹50/-.* ; Non-Veg meals pantry car rate was ₹100/- is only *₹55/-.* ,

Two more options are also available as Standard Thali Meals- Veg and Non-Veg at *₹35/- & ₹40/-.*

After meals , I handed over ₹50/- to the waiter, but he was demanding ₹90/-. I asked him about the RATE CARD, he refused to have any such thing. Shown him the above website and rates, he was like *₹50/-* will be ok but *DON’T TELL ANYONE.*

I was so furious, travelled all the way from 13th coach to 1st coach to the pantry car. And on my way, informed co-passengers who were taking the meals from pantry about this scam.

Met the *Pantry-In-charge.* Enquired about this. he was also telling the same story, rate cards are missing right now but will shortly get the new one. About the Jacked price of meal he was mum. I lodged a complaint in his Complaint register, which he handed over to me after half an hour. Initially He was pleading not to write the complaint but after writing the complaint, he was like nobody will see this, it will go into dustbin that’s it.

To my surprise, against my complaint (he is obliged to give the  reason in writing – triple complaint copies – one has to handed over to customer) he wrote _*“taken only ₹50 from customer Bill No XXX and this customer writes complaint every time he travels“.*_

The same situation is in almost every train, pantry car meal prices are jacked up as no one questions them, no one asks about the rate card.

As per one of the estimate, every day around 25 million passenger travel on Indian Railways, if only 5% of these passengers take either lunch or dinner from pantry cars, even an extra *₹30/-* on each plate will make these people rich by *₹37,500,000.*

*Please do insist for Bill every time you order any food from a Railway pantry car.*

Baldev Vakhara,  Grant Road West, Bombay

  citizen journalism, corruption, Indian railways