The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has intensified inspections across trains and railway stations to check the sale of unapproved food and beverage products, including packaged drinking water, officials said. As part of the latest enforcement drive, more than 8,300 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water have been seized in inspection campaigns conducted across the Lucknow and Chandigarh regions. IRCTC, a Navratna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, has been carrying out sustained inspections aimed at strengthening the quality, safety and hygiene of catering services available to railway passengers.

The corporation has formed Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to conduct inspections across trains and railway stations in coordination with the Railways' commercial department. Officials said the teams are focusing particularly on the sale and stocking of unapproved brands of packaged drinking water, along with food and beverage products that do not meet prescribed standards. Catering units are also being checked for valid licences and authorisations as well as compliance with hygiene and food safety requirements. The inspections are intended to ensure that passengers are not sold products that fail to meet the required standards. In the Lucknow region, an inspection drive was conducted between July 28 and August 8.

IRCTC officials, working with the Lucknow Commercial Department, inspected trains and railway stations across the region, with particular attention being paid to the storage and sale of unapproved packaged drinking water. According to departmental sources, 117 trains were inspected during the drive and 5,241 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water were seized. The inspection campaign was also conducted in the Chandigarh region, covering stations including Ambala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Katra and Jammu. The IRCTC regional office in Chandigarh carried out regular inspections of trains at various stations during the past week. Officials said 51 trains were inspected and 3,108 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water were seized during the campaign.

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Together, the seizures in the Lucknow and Chandigarh regions amounted to 8,349 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water. The figures underline the scale of the ongoing inspection effort and the focus being placed by IRCTC on preventing the sale of unauthorised products to passengers. The corporation has also stepped up surprise inspections of catering establishments to identify other products that may not comply with prescribed requirements. The QRTs operating under the Chandigarh Regional Office have conducted additional surprise checks of catering units.

During two inspections carried out on August 10, a QRT headed by senior IRCTC officials seized 13 cartons of unapproved products, including ice cream and flavoured milk, at Ambala. The action formed part of the wider effort to identify and remove food and beverage products that do not meet the required standards. IRCTC said the inspection programme is aimed at maintaining food safety and hygiene across railway catering operations. The checks cover licensing, authorisation, storage and sale of food and beverages, as well as compliance with applicable safety requirements. With inspections continuing across different railway regions, the corporation is seeking to strengthen oversight of catering services and ensure that passengers have access to approved products while travelling.

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