Pune: The Pune Railway division has asked all the pantry car vendors to give valid bills to passengers after serving food. The decision comes after the officials found that vendors were not giving bills to passengers in long route trains, in spite of the rule introduced in March 2018 for the same.

The Indian Railways had launched ‘No bill, free food’ policy. As per the policy, if the bill is not provided for food and beverages purchased on trains, the passenger does not have to pay for it.

The division has also displayed this message in trains in order to stop the vendors from overcharging. The Railways has also mentioned that defaulting vendors would face strict action, including cancellation of licences.

“The Indian Railways wants more passengers to utilise its catering services without facing the risk of being overcharged or misled. The passengers have been told to always buy food from authorised IRCTC food vendors and demand valid bills. If the vendors do not provide bills, the passengers must under no circumstances pay,” said a senior officer from the division on condition of anonymity. 

However, to publicise this policy, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has started displaying these messages on its ticket-booking web portal.