Western Railway shuts 39 catering outlets over hygiene violations in Mumbai stations

The IRCTC chief had last week reviewed food quality and hygiene at Mumbai railway catering facilities. File Pic

Western Railway's Mumbai Central Division has shut down 39 catering outlets during an intensive cleanliness and hygiene drive launched on August 15, an official statement said.

The inspections are aimed at checking food safety, sanitation and compliance with operational standards at railway stations and platforms.

20 outlets reopen after compliance

According to an official statement, of the 39 outlets that were closed, 20 have been allowed to reopen after the operators corrected the reported violations and paid penalties.

Railway authorities have collected a total of Rs 3.80 lakh in fines from the vendors.

The highest penalty of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on a tea stall operated by M/s Mahendra Jain at Bandra Terminus on Platforms 2 and 3. The outlet was allowed to reopen after a compliance check on August 20, it said.

A Rs 50,000 fine was imposed on a juice kiosk operated by Om Prakash Chandra Sen at Bandra station on Platforms 4 and 5. The outlet reopened following verification on August 24, it said.

19 catering units remain shut

The remaining 19 catering outlets continue to remain closed following inspections carried out between August 22 and 24, the statement said.

These include seven tea stalls at Surat, six at Vapi, three at Valsad, two at Borivali and one at Dadar.

At Surat, the affected outlets include stalls operated by M/s Mahesh Chandra & Co., M/s Masood Ahmed & Co., M/s R R Bhavsar, M/s Mahesh L Gupta and M/s Gauri Shankar & Co.

Six tea stalls at Vapi operated by M/s A F Vapiwala, M/s AshaDevi Shah, M/s Mohanlal H Agarwal & Sons, M/s Anita Caterers, M/s Deepak C Singh and Shyam Dhabha-Amethi have also been suspended.

Three tea stalls at Valsad, two catering units at Borivali and a tea stall at Dadar are among the other outlets facing suspension.

Operations to resume only after checks

Railway authorities said the 19 suspended units will remain closed until the operators complete the required corrective measures, pay the applicable penalties and pass formal compliance checks.

Western Railway said regular inspections will continue across stations under the Mumbai Central Division to maintain food safety, cleanliness and passenger safety.