Nagpur: The catering service staff of the commercial department, Nagpur division of Central Railway, seized 39 food packets from unauthorized vendors being sold under unhygienic conditions at Betul railway station during a special surprise check on Monday.
Around 89 packets of unauthorized brands of potato chips were also seized during the raid.
Sources said that the food packets seized had no expiry dates or price mentioned on them, apart from packed in containers which were found spilling too.
The team led by Tara Prasad Acharya, chief commercial inspector, and having four newly inducted staff, travelled to Betul by road, so that raid plan remained under the wraps.
One of the new recruits posed as decoy passenger to unearth overcharging, following which three cases were registered against two food outlets.
The operation, in which the unauthorized vendors were also nabbed from the railway station, was being conducted under the guidance of Senior divisional commercial manager, Ashutosh Shrivastava. The vendors were handed over to the RPF.
Talking to TOI, Ashutosh Shrivastava said, “Similar drives through surprise checks would continue against illegal vendors at all main stations.”
There were several complaints and feedback from passengers about unauthorized vendors and poor quality of food. During a surprise check the other day, Shrivastava himself became a victim of overcharging. He was charged ₹20 for a packaged drinking water bottle that costs ₹15.
During the raid, a fruit juice stall was found selling various items other than for the purpose for which the license was issued. Four outlets were found serving no free drinking water despite the mandatory instructions from the railway authorities during the summer months.