Indian Railways traveller? You can get this for free, but there is a catch

The official said, in case of non-compliance by the catering stalls, customers can also register their complaints with the authorities.

Many of the stalls have been keeping the POS machine to enable customers to pay using debit/credit cards. Agencies

Eeveryone loves to have something for free! Now, Indian Railways has given every traveller on their trains a chance to get it. Now, no more arguments over bills and prices at food stalls situated at Railway stations. Indian Railways has announced that from September 1, commuters can ask for bills at the catering/food stalls situated at stations. The Central Railway has already issued directions to the food stalls to install Point Of Sale (POS) devices and electronic billing machines by August 31.

The catch is that if you don't get the bill for the food you paid, there will be no freebie! To sensitise passengers on the issue, these stalls will have to paste a sticker saying ‘Food Free, Without Bill’. If the vendor fails to give bills, the passenger would not be charged for the food. This will allow commuters to demand bills for even smaller purchases.

“These stalls cannot refuse bills if demanded by a customer. We know it is difficult to monitor all the stalls but then it’s a beginning. This way, there will be no question of overcharging,” said a Central Railways official to DNA.

The official said, in case of non-compliance by the catering stalls, customers can also register their complaints with the authorities. The officials added that they will initiate action against stall owners who do not comply with this rule.

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Many of the stalls have been keeping the POS machine to enable customers to pay using debit/credit cards. According to sources, stalls at many stations including Matunga, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Kalyan have installed billing machines.

Indian Railways has been getting complaints of overcharging from passengers by these stalls as well as by the catering staff. Most of these complaints come against the onboard pantry staff/contractor who overcharges passengers and does not give bills.

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