Crackdown on illegal food vendors aboard Mumbai-bound Duronto Express |

Nagpur: The Nagpur Division of Central Railway On Wednesday, they apprehended and booked five unauthorized sellers on board 12289-12290 Nagpur-CSMT Duronto Express. The vendors offered full catering services to passengers and charged exorbitant rates, taking advantage of the fact that no IRCTC agency was operating on board the Duronto Express since August 30, 2024.
IRCTC has appointed Nagpur-based PS Enterprises to provide catering services to Nagpur-Duronto Express for three months from June 1, 2024 to August 30, 2024. Prashant Bhanarkar, owner of PS Enterprises, has denied his role in the unauthorized sale. “My contract is over and I am out. These sellers have no connection with me and the railway should take action against them.”
Basant Shukla, general secretary of Bharatiya Yatri Kendra (BYK), a registered body working for the welfare of railway passengers, claimed that the illegal vendors were active since September 1, 2024, when the catering contract ended . These vendors were selling vegetarian thali for Rs 120, non-vegetarian thali for Rs 150 and bottles of drinking water for Rs 30.
“BYK received several representations and videos from regular Duronto commuters regarding the illegal sale. Based on this evidence, I filed a complaint with DRM. The action appears to be a response to BYK’s complaint. We welcome the action of the commercial department,” Shukla said. .
Shukla said that in April 2024, 35 passengers on board the Gorakhpur Express fell ill after eating stale biryani supplied by illegal vendors in Nagpur. Since then, a massive campaign has been undertaken against the illegal sale by the Central Railway. However, the momentum now appears to have slowed.
Senior DCM Aman Mittal said, “We carried out a sting operation to arrest the culprits. Five people were arrested. None of them had an identity card. The accused said they had been operating since Monday. will be presented before the magistrate on Thursday.”