A joint audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Railways has revealed alarming facts: contaminated and recycled food, unpurified water direct from taps and other edibles unfit for consumption is being served on trains and stations.
Rats and cockroaches were found in many of the 80 trains and 74 stations audited.
Proper menus and bills aren't being issued to passengers either.
While basics suffer, railways focuses on luxuries
This report comes a month after the railways introduced luxury food items from Domino's, KFC, McDonalds and more on select trains and stations.
It's not just food it is working on. In May, it announced it will launch a content-on-demand service to let passengers stream movies and TV shows while travelling.
But luxury has to come after basic services are made ideal.
A Comptroller and Auditor General audit report on the catering services in the Indian Railways, to be tabled in Parliament on Friday, has observed that food articles unsuitable for human consumption, contaminated foodstuff, recycled foodstuff, packaged and bottled items past their shelf life and unauthorised brands of water bottles were offered for sale at stations.
The audit has found fault with frequent changes in catering policy of the railways that have created a state of uncertainty in management of catering services provided to the passengers. An inspection has revealed cleanliness and hygiene are not being maintained, bills are not being given for the food items served in mobile units in trains, besides several deficiencies in food quality.
During the joint inspection of the CAG team and the railways at selected 74 stations and 80 trains, the audit noticed that cleanliness and hygiene were not being maintained at catering units at stations and in trains.
Un-purified water straight from tap was used in preparation of beverages, waste bins were not found covered, not emptied regularly and not washed, food stuff were not covered to protect them from flies, insects and dust, rats and cockroaches were found in trains etc," the audit observed.
Neither were bills provided to passengers for food items served in trains, nor printed menu cards with tariff for the list of items sold in the mobile units were available with waiters and catering managers in any of the trains inspected.
Food stuff served was less than the prescribed quantity, unapproved packaged drinking water was sold,the report has said and pointed out that prices of food articles sold in railway premises was significantly higher than the open market.
A Comptroller and Auditor General audit report on the catering services in the Indian Railways, to be tabled in Parliament on Friday, has observed that food articles unsuitable for human consumption, contaminated foodstuff, recycled foodstuff, packaged and bottled items past their shelf life and unauthorised brands of water bottles were offered for sale at stations.
Articles unsuitable for human consumption, contaminated foodstuff, recycled foodstuff, shelf life expired packaged and bottled items, unauthorised brands of water bottles, etc., were offered for sale on stations, CAG noted.
The report says the mess has been created due to frequent policy changes and the failure of the Indian Railways to take effective steps to bridge the gap to provide necessary infrastructure in terms of base kitchens, static catering units, and automatic vending machines etc.
Blueprint for provision of catering services was not prepared in seven Zonal Railways. The policy of progressive switch over from gas burners to electric power equipment in pantry cars to avoid the occurrence of fire accidents in trains was not followed while manufacturing the pantry cars in Integral Coach Factory, Perambur,the report said.
Earlier this year, catering scam in Indian Railways had made headlines where items as small as curd had been bought at inflated prices.
Now, another malpractice going on in various trains have surfaced, where food is being served at an inflated price. Neelabh Khanikar, through social media, has brought another malpractice to the light.
Bareilly resident, Khanikar, was travelling from Duliajan to Dimapur on the New Tinsukia Rajendra Nagar Patna Express with his family, when he bought two plates of egg biryani.
Khanikar paid Rs 80 for each plate of biryani, but he grew suspicious and went to the pantry is asked for the menu. There, he found that actual price of one plate egg biriyani was Rs 63 instead of charged Rs 80.
Khanikar asked the person concerned why was he charged more than the given price. Since Khanikar was recording video of his conversation, no one spoke anything.
Khanikar was asked to stop recording and talk, but he refused, saying that he will bring the matter to the notice of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
The officials say that they had overcharged by mistake, and didn’t realise the actual price of the food, finally agreeing to return the extra money to him.
Tourism Observer
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Showing posts with label India Attractions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India Attractions. Show all posts
Friday, 21 July 2017
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Know About Indian Outbound Travellers
Indian outbound traveller 1The UNWTO predicts the Indian outbound travel market will account for 50 million tourists by 2020, and its total outbound spending is expected to cross the US$28 billion mark. This, coupled with the country’s new generation of middle class tourists, set to grow even further, makes it a potential tourist goldmine for thousands of destinations and travel businesses.
Market overview
The second most populated country in the world after China, India is a unique and emerging travel market. It is wise to note, however, that being this a relatively poor country, the majority of Indians still cannot ordinarily afford to travel abroad; so the 18 million departures registered in 2014 represents just a small fraction (barely 2%) of the total population.
Nonetheless, there are many positive factors which are responsible for India’s increased demand for outbound travel: one is its national economy, which has been relatively strong within the last decade; another is India’s middle class which is growing rapidly – currently estimated at almost 300 million, it is set to grow from the current 32% to 50% by 2030; and thirdly, the country’s large diaspora and growing openness to the outside world, in particular from the younger generations. Second only to the Chinese, the number of Indian students studying abroad has risen sharply, in recent years, further stimulating travel abroad.
It is no wonder than, that the world of tourism is starting to take note. Among recent examples are:
Tourism Australia, aiming to get 300,000 Indian tourists by 2020;
The South African Tourism Board too, says India has become one of the key tourism generating nations;
Visit Britain aims to capitalise on the two country’s historical ties and widespread use of the English language, to achieve 80% growth by 2020;
And, in a recent interview, TripAdvisor’s President for the APAC region stated the company intends to be India’s top travel website, by the end of this year.
The Indian Outbound Traveller
Although it can be very difficult to generalise the Indian travel market, as specific destinations will tend to cater to very different segments – i.e., VFR (visiting friends and relatives), leisure or business – significant conclusions can nevertheless be drawn.
There is also a strong distinction between the upper-middle class tourists, who often travel on a budget, and a small but extremely affluent segment, looking for all the prerequisites of luxury travel. Although India is classified as a poor and developing country, its luxury travel market is a relatively big one.
The outbound Indian traveller is more likely to be male (65%), between 25-65 years old, well educated, belongs to the upper socio-economic strata of society; and travels mostly for business purposes (40%), leisure (20%) and visiting friends and family (20%). Top destinations include Thailand and the UAE; thought to be selected due to their geographical proximity, relatively relaxed visa entry requirements, abundance of direct flights, strong business relations and a low currency conversion rate, in the case of Thailand.
The APAC region, according to a new intelligence report, is consistently top for MICE travel, whilst the US, Middle East and Europe are expected to have increased visitation levels for both leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel in the next couple of years.
When travelling for leisure, package tours, with the immediate or extended family, are often preferred. Reasons often cited are the benefits of comfort, safety and the greater potential for group discounts. But as the growth of the single person household is set to continue, on par with the country’s economy, the need for stimulating independent travel (FIT) should not be completely discarded.
Also noticeable is the fact that Indians are taking more frequent holidays. According to data from Indian OTA Makemytrip.com, while five years ago, the average person would typically take an international holiday once every 18-24 months; this frequency is now estimated at once every 12-18 months.
Technology needs
Technology wise, and according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRG (Indian Market Research Bureau), India is now thought to be the second largest internet market globally, overtaking the US and only falling behind China. The same report indicated that India had shown a YOY growth of Internet usage of 32% from 2013 to 2014. This growth can be directly attributed to the decrease in hardware costs and the resulting increase in mobile penetration in the country.
Another interesting trend is the use of social media among Indian travellers. Recent research by Amadeus, places Indian travellers as active users, with 47% of Indians stating to use social media frequently during their travels. Likewise, Tourism Australia discovered 74% of all active internet users in urban India used social media; in particular Facebook, the most accessed social platform, followed by Google+ and LinkedIn.
Nonetheless, according to the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) although online distribution channels should be a way forward when it comes to travel purchases, the traditional travel agent still remains tremendously influential in India. The report states 80% of Indian travellers consult with an agent at least during the planning stage. So hotels still need to make sure that both a sound digital strategy, as well as a good relationship with the travel trade, is part of the plan to target Indian travellers.
Market overview
The second most populated country in the world after China, India is a unique and emerging travel market. It is wise to note, however, that being this a relatively poor country, the majority of Indians still cannot ordinarily afford to travel abroad; so the 18 million departures registered in 2014 represents just a small fraction (barely 2%) of the total population.
Nonetheless, there are many positive factors which are responsible for India’s increased demand for outbound travel: one is its national economy, which has been relatively strong within the last decade; another is India’s middle class which is growing rapidly – currently estimated at almost 300 million, it is set to grow from the current 32% to 50% by 2030; and thirdly, the country’s large diaspora and growing openness to the outside world, in particular from the younger generations. Second only to the Chinese, the number of Indian students studying abroad has risen sharply, in recent years, further stimulating travel abroad.
It is no wonder than, that the world of tourism is starting to take note. Among recent examples are:
Tourism Australia, aiming to get 300,000 Indian tourists by 2020;
The South African Tourism Board too, says India has become one of the key tourism generating nations;
Visit Britain aims to capitalise on the two country’s historical ties and widespread use of the English language, to achieve 80% growth by 2020;
And, in a recent interview, TripAdvisor’s President for the APAC region stated the company intends to be India’s top travel website, by the end of this year.
The Indian Outbound Traveller
Although it can be very difficult to generalise the Indian travel market, as specific destinations will tend to cater to very different segments – i.e., VFR (visiting friends and relatives), leisure or business – significant conclusions can nevertheless be drawn.
There is also a strong distinction between the upper-middle class tourists, who often travel on a budget, and a small but extremely affluent segment, looking for all the prerequisites of luxury travel. Although India is classified as a poor and developing country, its luxury travel market is a relatively big one.
The outbound Indian traveller is more likely to be male (65%), between 25-65 years old, well educated, belongs to the upper socio-economic strata of society; and travels mostly for business purposes (40%), leisure (20%) and visiting friends and family (20%). Top destinations include Thailand and the UAE; thought to be selected due to their geographical proximity, relatively relaxed visa entry requirements, abundance of direct flights, strong business relations and a low currency conversion rate, in the case of Thailand.
The APAC region, according to a new intelligence report, is consistently top for MICE travel, whilst the US, Middle East and Europe are expected to have increased visitation levels for both leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel in the next couple of years.
When travelling for leisure, package tours, with the immediate or extended family, are often preferred. Reasons often cited are the benefits of comfort, safety and the greater potential for group discounts. But as the growth of the single person household is set to continue, on par with the country’s economy, the need for stimulating independent travel (FIT) should not be completely discarded.
Also noticeable is the fact that Indians are taking more frequent holidays. According to data from Indian OTA Makemytrip.com, while five years ago, the average person would typically take an international holiday once every 18-24 months; this frequency is now estimated at once every 12-18 months.
Technology needs
Technology wise, and according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRG (Indian Market Research Bureau), India is now thought to be the second largest internet market globally, overtaking the US and only falling behind China. The same report indicated that India had shown a YOY growth of Internet usage of 32% from 2013 to 2014. This growth can be directly attributed to the decrease in hardware costs and the resulting increase in mobile penetration in the country.
Another interesting trend is the use of social media among Indian travellers. Recent research by Amadeus, places Indian travellers as active users, with 47% of Indians stating to use social media frequently during their travels. Likewise, Tourism Australia discovered 74% of all active internet users in urban India used social media; in particular Facebook, the most accessed social platform, followed by Google+ and LinkedIn.
Nonetheless, according to the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) although online distribution channels should be a way forward when it comes to travel purchases, the traditional travel agent still remains tremendously influential in India. The report states 80% of Indian travellers consult with an agent at least during the planning stage. So hotels still need to make sure that both a sound digital strategy, as well as a good relationship with the travel trade, is part of the plan to target Indian travellers.
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