McDonald's to open at New Delhi railway station

Passengers at New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations may soon begin their journey with a sumptuous meal of nans and chicken butter masala from canteens run by city's famed Nirulas' chain of restaurants; and if time is short, they can just bite into McDonald's burgers before boarding the train. The appetising revelations were made by Attorney General Milon Banerjee before a Delhi High Court bench of Justice Mukundakam Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna adjudicating on popular complaints against unavailability of hygienic food on trains. Banerjee told the court that the government has roped in Nirula's and American multi-national food chain McDonald's to maintain canteens at New Delhi and Old Delhi ralway stations.

Appearing for the railway ministry and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC), he said the authorities have also initiated steps to improve the infrastructure, service and quality of food items supplied to the railway passengers. Nirula's and McDonald's had been appointed to run canteens at New Delhi and Old Delhi Railway stations, he said. After taking into account the government's initiatives on supply of fresh and hygienic foods to railway passengers, the bench adjourned the matter till April 18, granting six weeks to the government to expedite their proposals aimed at improving the food quality at railiway stations and running trains. Before adjourning the matter till April 18, the Bench also directed the court-appointed committee to inspect the six railways' kitchens in the capital as well as the pantry vans in running trains.

The court appointed committee, which included advocates Kirit Uppal and Varun Goswami, were asked to summit its report on its last inspection to the court in the intervening period. The condition in the pantry cars of the running trains was unhygienic and bad, the IRCTC should take steps immediately to improve the situation, said Uppal. Despite charging exorbitant prices for food, the private contractors or licencees appointed by the IRCTC did not improve the quality of food and hygiene condition of the pantry cars in about 235 express trains. The court's direction followed in course of adjudication of a petition by Delhi resident Goswami, who had approached it April 28 seeking directions to the authorities to modernise and sanitize their base kitchens all over the country and pantry cars.

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