24 May,2011 06:35 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
The popular Jan Aahar counter at CST has now been reduced to serving just biscuits and samosas, ever since the catering responsibilities were transferred from the IRCTC to the railways last week
After its short but successful stint as the leading catering service on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station, the Jan Aahar counter has experienced a surprising reversal of fortunes. Ever since former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee gave up her portfolio in order to pick up the reins as chief minister of West Bengal, the recently launched Jan Aahar counter has been wearing a deserted look, the reason being that it has stopped selling cooked food to commuters. The counter now only sells biscuits and samosas, purportedly owing to the lack of adequate staff.
Shut down? The recently launched Jan Aahar Cafeteria at Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus has been wearing a deserted look, as it has stopped
selling cooked food to commuters. Pic/Vedika Chaubey
The outlet was being initially maintained and run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), but the catering responsibilities were transferred to the Railway authorities last week. Soon after, irregularities in service began cropping up, and the counter, which had acquired quite a reputation for serving inexpensive but wholesome food, started turning famished passengers away. On the menu now are samosas and biscuits only.
Flummoxed
Ramkiran Yadav, who wanted to grab a bite at the Jan Aahar counter, was taken aback when he saw the desolate cafetaria with its empty chairs. "I often come here to eat. I am shocked to find such a drastic change within the duration of a week. The counter has no stocks of fresh food. Upon enquiring when the counter would open, different employees gave me different timings. I will have to resort to oily vada pav from a nearby stall now," said Yadav.
Promising start
The Jan Aahar programme was inaugurated on March 3 this year, and acquired great popularity within two weeks. Such was the overwhelming response from the passengers that six extra cooks had to be appointed in order to meet the needs of the passengers. Situated in the mainline concourse of the station, the outlet has been serving nearly 20,000 people every day, raking in profits amounting to Rs 10,000.
Reversal
"Since railway authorities took over the catering service from the IRCTC, 40 employees who had been working at different Jan Aahar kitchens have lost their jobs. 75 contractors suffered a similar fate. We have been trying to absorb them in different posts, but it is impossible to allocate so many new jobs at such short notice," said an IRCTC official.
What's on the menu?
The Jan Aahar cafeteria serves both fast food as well as meals. Items on the menu are priced between Rs 10 and Rs 35, with thalis costing a mere Rs 22. The cafeteria, which can accommodate about 80 people, also has a take-away counter. However, hardly any customer could be seen in the deserted cafeteria yesterday afternoon. According to the rules, the ground floor of the outlet, which serves fast food, should be open round the clock, while the top floor, which serves thalis, should serve customers from 6 am and 10 pm daily.
The Other Side
"We are suffering from a severe staff crunch, as the IRCTC staffers who were manning the counters are no longer offering their services. We have no option but to provide the little that we can. Thus we have closed the upper floor of the cafeteria for the time being, and are only offering limited fare," said a senior railway official. When MiD DAY contacted A K Singh, PRO, CR, he said, "We are running short on staff, as many have gone on leave. We have not received any complaints. However, normal services will resume from Tuesday."
