‘Janata Khana’ at Rs 10 at Pune Railway Station
Indian Express: The burgers, pastries and black forest cakes now have to make space on the shelves for accommodating the ‘Janata Khana’ as well at the Comesum Food Junction, a food joint located on the premises of the Pune Railway Station.
The Comesum has been storing and preparing only western fast food items so far, but now it is also selling ‘Janata Khana’ meal boxes at its counters. The boxes, available for Rs 10, contain puri and vegetable curry.
After the Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee declared in her railway budget presented last month that all the zones in Indian Railways should be instructed to ensure availability of ‘Janata Khana’, the Central Railway got into the act. In fact, if the food joints do not keep the ‘Janata Khana’ with them, or at least prepare it on demand by passengers or people, they will face action.
“Following the orders given to us, we have asked the food joints positioned on our premises to start providing ‘Janata Khana’ to people on demand. And since there is only one food joint on Pune railway station premises, we have asked the Comesum Food Junction to make it available. It has been made mandatory to supply it. If they do not keep this food, we can even take action against them and terminate the agreement,” Sushil Gaikwad, senior divisional railway manager (Commercial) of Pune Division of Central Railway, said.
A box of ‘Janata’ meal contains seven puris, potato vegetable curry and pickle at Rs 10, which comes in handy boxes, with the impression of India Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) on it.
At Comesum, while passengers and people come to enjoy fast food, there is nevertheless demand for Janata Khana. “We started keeping Janata Khana after we were given instructions by the railway authorities about a month ago. Even though people enjoy other food items more, they nevertheless buy it when they see its low price,” assistant manager of Comesum, Vijay Yadav, said. He said around 60 boxes are sold daily.
“We prepare the food in our kitchen and pack it in the boxes on which there is a railway stamp.
Each meal box costs us about Rs 6 to Rs 6.50,” he said.
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