LPG shortage from West Asia conflict may force IRCTC to suspend cooked meals on trains: Report
The IRCTC is reportedly mulling a temporary suspension of the cooked meal services on trains for passengers. The Railways, as per a report, may also issue refunds to passengers who had booked meals while making their reservations.
As the shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) across the country intensifies due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is bracing for a potential cooking fuel crisis that could disrupt its pre-cooked meal services on trains.
The concerns have arisen against the backdrop of the widening conflict in West Asia after the killing of Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other leaders on 28 February by the US-Israel joint strikes. The conflict triggered by the strike is impacting LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, and the Indian government has ordered the diversion of natural gas supplies to priority sectors of the economy. The move may affect the supply of commercial LPG cylinders in the country.
According to a Times of India report, the IRCTC is mulling a temporary suspension of the cooked meal services on trains for passengers. The Railways, as per the report, may also issue refunds to the passengers who had booked meals while making their reservations.
Railway officials have told the newspaper that the shortage is affecting the base kitchens where meals are prepared before being loaded into the train pantries. IRCTC prepares as many as 17 lakh meals per day.
“The issue has become serious and is likely to aggravate if LPG supplies continue to remain tight. Catering services on trains depend on food prepared at the IRCTC base kitchens. Any disruption in LPG availability directly impacts meal preparation and supply to trains,” an official was quoted as saying in the report.
He further said, “We have suggested a few measures, including the possibility of temporarily suspending catering services if the shortage continues. In such a situation, passengers who have already booked meals at the time of reservation will be refunded. However, it is for the Railway Board to take the final call and issue guidelines.”
Meanwhile, as the concerns over possible LPG shortage continue, the IRCTC has directed catering units at railway stations in its western zone to shift to microwave and induction plates and maintain stocks of ready-to-eat food items for passengers.
In a communication issued on Tuesday, 10 March, the IRCTC asked operators of food plazas, refreshment rooms and 'Jan Ahaars' to switch to alternative arrangements to maintain seamless catering services for travelling passengers.
"You must switch over to alternate cooking modes viz. microwaves and induction, to offset any potential shortage in LPG supplies," the advisory reads.
The catering units have also been asked to maintain sufficient inventory of ready-to-eat food items in addition to standard packaged and cooked food items to meet passenger demand.
On 10 March, the central government invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, to regulate the supply, availability and distribution of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas, including LNG and re-gasified LNG, ensuring critical sectors receive priority supply.
(With agency inputs)