Railway inquiry committee inspects closed-down catering firm in Kochi

Southern Railway inquiry committee inspects unhygienic catering firm in Kochi, Kerala, sealing it for serving stale food on trains.

A three-member inquiry committee constituted by the Southern Railway on Saturday inspected a catering firm at Elamkulam, Kochi, Kerala, that served food on trains operated by the Southern Railway and was sealed by the health wing of the Kochi Corporation following the seizure of large quantities of stale food and the discovery of the unhygienic state of its kitchen.

The high-level committee comprising the Divisional Commercial Manager, Thiruvananthapuram; the Health Officer, Thiruvananthapuram; and the Area Manager of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was constituted on Wednesday when the firm was sealed. The committee’s visit for evidence collection was kept under wraps.

The firm, Brandavan Food Products, has a presence across the country and serves food on trains of various zonal railways directly and also on trains catered to by IRCTC. The unit in Kochi reportedly served food directly for five sets of trains under the Southern Railway and another three sets of trains through the IRCTC.

The committee, it is learnt, will not just restrict itself to the instant case in Kochi but will look at the larger issues related to the food supply on trains and make recommendations. At its preliminary meeting, the committee had decided to slap a fine of ₹1 lakh on the unit and asked the IRCTC to take stern action. The committee will look into the quality of food being served on trains and recommend corrective measures, wherever necessary, sources said.

The catering unit will have to comply with all requirements before resuming operations, according to sources. “Initially, they will have to secure a no-objection certificate from the Pollution Control Board and then apply for licences from the Corporation and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The unit will have to ensure necessary waste disposal and management facilities, clean drinking water and health cards for its kitchen workers. The unit didn’t have the Corporation licence. It had a registration from the FSSAI, but its scale of operation warranted a licence from the authority,” said Corporation sources.

The firm has been under the Corporation Health wing’s scanner for a few months following complaints from people and has been served multiple notices. The health wing on Thursday submitted a report to the Corporation Secretary on the action taken against the unit. The action was taken under the Kerala Municipality Act Section 447 (licensing for the use of places within the municipal area for various purposes) and 340A (prohibited waste disposal).

The stale food seized from the unit was sent to Brahmapuram for disposal.