Food bill on train: IRCTC asks rly zones to deploy 10 POS machines in each train

The Railways has issued instructions to all its zones to ensure at least 10 point of sale (POS) machines on each train under their jurisdiction so that passengers are provided bills for food items they purchase.

In a letter issued today, the IRCTC said that despite it being mandatory for the licensee to issue bills to passengers for food items through POS machines, the hand held electronic bill printing devices were not deployed in trains and cases of overcharging were "continuously being received, resulting in bad publicity for the IRCTC".

IRCTC is the ticketing and catering arm of the Indian Railways.

"Zones are hereby advised to ensure the provision and operation of minimum 10 POS machine in each mail/express trains under their jurisdiction with immediate effect. Licensee must be immediately directed to deploy these machines in all trains run by them," the letter said.

It also asked zones to carry out inspections to check whether the directions were being followed and instructed them to send a report by June.

Earlier this month, the railways said that passengers on 25 trains can now choose their meals from a pre-loaded menu and pay through credit or debit cards without worrying about being overcharged or having to shell out the exact amount for their food.

This system will cover all zones in a phased manner, they said.