Amid row over popular Kerala dishes like puttu and kadala curry being removed from the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s (IRCTC) menu and replaced by north-Indian food items, the southern state did not take it lightly and in the wake of protests appam, eggcurry have found their way back to the revised menu of the Railways.
The Indian Railway’s catering subsidiary IRCTC on Tuesday issued a clarification that the snacks were discontinued due to ‘multiplicity of a-la-carte items,’as there had been many complaints related to overcharging by licensees, reported the Hindustan Times.
The popular Kerala dishes were reinstated in the list following social media backlash on the reported decision to replace the favorite cuisine of Malayalis from its menu with north Indian dishes such as Kachori and Chole Bhature.
Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, who had shot off a letter to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal raising the issue of alleged discrimination against Keralites, got an assurance from the IRCTC officials that popular items, including snacks such as unniyappam and sukhiyan will be served through its outlets in the state.
Eden said the IRCTC officials who visited him at his home on Wednesday morning have presented him with the list of delicacies to be served by its local vendors in Kerala.
In his letter to the minister, the MP had stated that dishes which are very important to Malayalis for breakfast such as appam, egg curry, porotta, dosa, steam cake (puttu) were excluded along with snacks such as banana fry (pazham pori), kozhukkatta, unniyappam, neyyappam and sukhiyan.
He had also raised the issue of hike of price of food items.
According to him, price of meals has been increased from RS 35 to 70 and that ofsnacks such as vada from Rs 8 to 15.
While the price of vada has not been reduced, the fare of snack meal like parotta, chappathi, idiyappam, appam and puttu with kadala curry or egg curry will be served at Rs 50.
According to IRCTC, a passenger will have to shell out Rs 20 for unniyappam/sukhiyan/neyyappam, 2 items each.
“Malayalis are discriminated in trains and railway refreshment rooms by the food which is the right of every passenger, ” wrote Eden in a letter to informing Goyal of the changes in menu, earlier.
He had sought urgent intervention of the Minister and speedy action in the matter.
The IRCTC restored the old menu per the “regional preferences” and also added fish curry to the revised menu, said IRCTC .
“In view of the demand from passengers and representations received, IRCTC has fully authorised its local offices in zones and regions to bring more items as per the local taste and regional preferences within one week as snack meals,” the IRCTC tweeted on Tuesday.
“It is further informed all the food items served earlier will be restored,” it added.
MP Eden welcomed the IRCTC’s decision and tweeted a picture of the revised menu.
I welcome @IRCTCofficial decision to withdraw earlier decision to exclude Kerala delicacies from railway menu. It was the sentiments of Kerala I echoed to Chairman Mr. MP Mall. IRCTC officials visited me today & handed over the reinstated menu. We got fish curry meals as a bonus! pic.twitter.com/3KRgmqtw2G
— Hibi Eden (@HibiEden) January 22, 2020