The Railway Ministry has made it mandatory to book catering facilities in special private coaches and trains through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), unless it has a pantry car included that offers flameless cooking facility.
This comes weeks after 10 people were killed and seven injured in a fire in a private coach in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai on August 26. The Railways had said that the fire was triggered due to gas cylinders that the passengers were allegedly carrying.
In an order, seen by News18, the Railway Board has also made it mandatory for the railways and security staff to check for inflammables in these private coaches and trains.
Any individual or an organisation can book an entire train or some coaches for personal travel or tour and even for weddings. These journeys can be between any stations across the railway network.
“The Ministry of Railways has decided that catering facilities in all coaches/trains booked on FTR (Full Tariff Rate) will be arranged by IRCTC. Party will book catering facilities in such special coaches/trains through IRCTC only, except for booking of FTR trains along with Pantry Car,” the order reads.
The order also said that in case of booking of full train on FTR, including a pantry car coach, booking parties can either avail the catering facilities through IRCTC or provide the catering facilities using the pantry strictly in terms of the existing instructions of the Tourism and Catering directorate.
“Parties booking FTR trains including pantry coaches will be supplied with such pantries which have flameless cooking facilities only. In case of non-availability of ICF pantry cars with flameless cooking facility, LHB rakes will be supplied for the FTR train bookings where pantry has been demanded,” it added.
The order also said that if the flameless pantry is not available, no pantry car will be provided and catering services will be mandatory through IRCTC.
“Regular drives by IRCTC/ Railway officials to check compliance of extant guidelines should be done… The instructions would be applicable on all future bookings including the bookings where the journey is yet to commence,” it added.
In the Madurai incident, a total of 63 passengers started their journey in the coach from Lucknow on August 17 with a planned itinerary. The private party had “illegally carried a gas cylinder, stove and other inflammable articles” which led to the freak fire accident, the Railways had said.
Carrying inflammable articles like gas cylinders, kerosene, petrol, stove, and explosives is a punishable offence under sections 67,164 and 165 of Railways Act of 1989.
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