IRCTC charges ₹70 for a cup of tea on Shatabdi Express, faces backlash
PremiumAs soon as activist Balgovind Verma posted the image online, it quickly gained popularity and received countless retweets.
During a train ride on the Shatabdi Express, a passenger s was charged ₹70 for a cup of tea. The passenger was shocked to see that he had to pay a service fee of Rs. 50 for a cup that cost Rs. 20. The traveller, who was going from Delhi to Bhopal, boarded the Bhopal Shatabdi.
As soon as activist Balgovind Verma posted the image online, it quickly gained popularity and received countless retweets.
The culinary services were required for high-end trains like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi. The services were eventually made optional, nevertheless. Whether a passenger desired the food or not was up to them. The passenger simply had to pay for the ticket in this instance; the cost of the catering was not included.
One Twitter user reacted, “IRCTC is a govt organisation. All service charges go to the government. They can’t write tax because people are aware, that’s why it’s written ‘service’, they’re looting people in the name of service. Good that you shared. Anybody in your position would order from IRCTC, not from outside vendors."
Another user quipped that the passenger should have made the tea himself while another pointed out that it was not service tax. The passenger was charged for the service, just like in hotels.
One Twitter user wrote, “I have also seen everywhere n every restaurant take service charges much higher whereas last month gov had declared, service charge should be paid by restaurant , they can't charge to customers..Go to customer forum.. n complain against IRCTC tea (sic)."