Food Stalls on CR’s Thane Platforms Likely to Get a Makeover

THANE: Soon, you may not have to worry about the quality of food when you stop at the stalls on CR’s suburban railway platforms for a quick bite. Besides, the stall staff would sport a more hygienic look and be more customer-friendly.

The Central Railway is planning to launch a pilot project to give a makeover to the 12 stalls, run by private contractors, at the Thane railway station. The 60-odd staff at the 12 stalls, who will sport a new bright colour uniform instead of the present khaki shirt, will also be provided gloves and head caps to ensure hygiene. Plans are also afoot to rework the food menu and introduce a cashless mode of payments at some stalls.

Central railway

If it’s successful, the project is likely to be proposed to be replicated across all the Mumbai suburban railway platforms of the Central Railway. At a meeting with stall owners at Thane station last week, the CR officials briefed them on the makeover plans. The bustling Thane station receives nearly 7 lakh footfalls daily and over 2,000 trains pass through it, but the stalls have been receiving poor patronage.

“At present, the railway stalls and canteens are mostly patronised by a certain section only while a majority of commuters hesitate to buy food items here being apprehensive of the quality. We are working towards changing this perception of commuters,” said Sanjay Gupta, Chief Commercial Inspector who conducted the meeting last week.

Stall owners

Stall owners say the initiative would also help their business. “The first phase in Thane involves changing the uniform along with an introduction of gloves, caps, etc to ensure hygiene. A plan to install point-of-sale machines and accepting e-wallet payments was also discussed and we are ready to adapt,” said Manoj Aggrawal, a stall owner.