Now, if you want to enjoy a hearty meal without burning a hole in your pocket, then head straight towards the Pune railway station. A dish comprising of potato vegetable, seven puris, pickle and a green chili for just Rs 10 has been introduced by the railway ministry, under the ‘Janata Khana’ scheme, at the ‘Krishna’ outlet on platform No. 1 of the Pune Railway station from Sunday onwards. Passengers were found making serpentine queues in front of the outlet, waiting for their turn to get a taste of the much-desired ‘Janata Khana’.
“The response till date has been amazing and people have also liked the quality of the food. It has been made compulsory for all private contractors to implement the ‘Janata Khana’ scheme on railway stations. The scheme is introduced keeping poor people in mind, who cannot afford to buy costly food from private hotels and restaurants in and around the railway station premises. And the best part is that the service is available all round the clock, thus catering to passengers traveling at different hours of the day and night,” said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Pune Division Ashok Malhotra

Owner of Krishna outlet, H D Chotai, informed that more than 500 people have bought meals in the past four days. “Every day, around 70 to 80 people avail of this facility after looking at the poster outside our outlet. I am sure that the response will get better with more people getting aware about the scheme,” he said.

Customers, after buying the meal, were found to be satisfied and delighted at the taste and quality of the food served at the outlet. A customer, Chandrakant Iyer said,” I found the food fresh and very hygienic. I am traveling from Pune to Jaipur, and decided to grab the ‘Janata Khana’ after reading the board outside the outlet. The quantity is also decent until now. However, I hope that the quality and quantity of the food are maintained in the future as well.”

A couple, Viren and Naina Seth, said that eating this meal by paying just Rs 10 is really worth it. “The scheme will prove to be extremely beneficial for commuters, many of whom wait on platforms for many hours. The taste of the food served here in the outlet is as good as any other costly restaurants outside. It is indeed a rational and thoughtful move by the railway department,” they said.

“The Indian Railways have been working on the Janata Khana’ scheme since the year 2009, and the ministry will see to it that more similar plans, which are beneficial for the masses, get introduced in the future as well,” said Suhas Lohokare, public relations officer in Central Railway’s (Pune division).

- Siddhartha Laik