Food outlets at Pune railway station struggle to stay afloat amid LPG shortage

Pune: Scores of food outlets that serve thousands of passengers daily at Pune railway station are facing an escalating struggle amid the LPG crisis.

Those operating these eateries, both inside the station premises at platform no. 1 and outside in the front circulating area, claimed that the situation is grim. Many said they may even have to close their outlets soon. "We have just one extra commercial cylinder left in each of our outlets, and are somehow managing. These will sustain for two or three days at the maximum. Thereafter, we may have to shut shop. Things are looking bad," said Virat Tomar, manager of around 10 outlets in the circulating area.




The station eateries typically sell food items like vada pav, samosa, biryani, chole bhature, tea, coffee, Chinese food, fruit juices, etc. "We sell both snacks and meals, but we are now rationing the menu. Items that take a long time to cook are being made just once or twice in large batches. There are ways by which one can procure a cylinder at a very high price, but we cannot afford to do this," another eatery representative said.

Pune railway station records the movement of more than 1.6 lakh passengers per day. On Thursday, the junction was bustling as usual. Many passengers were migrant workers headed back home in states like Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, etc. One such migrant worker, Ramesh Ojha, was at the station since morning to catch the Pune-Danapur Express scheduled to depart at 9pm. He said, "I work in Talegaon as a daily wage worker and have limited funds for a meal, which will buy items like samosa or vada pav. For people like me, it is not possible to bring our own food. We have to depend on the eateries here."

At platform no. 1, a representative running the Jan Ahaar food outlet admitted that they are being forced to buy commercial LPG from the black market. "The cost is nearing Rs5,000 or more per cylinder against the regular MRP of Rs1,700. We are trying hard to remain open but it is difficult to provide hot food to customers. The costs of items we serve are set by the railways and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). We cannot increase them," he said.

He added that as a result, they are forced to close outlets early. "People understand that an LPG crisis is going on, but they are hungry, too. We are trying to cope with the demand," he said.

Hemant Kumar Behera, the divisional commercial manager and PRO of the Pune rail division, said they are monitoring the LPG situation each day. "Food rates at outlets inside the railway station are ascertained by the IRCTC. The prices at the 10 outlets located in the front circulating area are fixed by the railway board. We are talking to all outlet managers and authorities daily about the LPG problem. A WhatsApp group has been created for the same, but no one has flagged any concerns till now. We are in touch with our three base kitchens as well, from where food goes to different trains," he claimed.