A Rs 50 service charge on a Rs 20 cup of tea may seem like an error but it was not. An Indian Railways passenger recently shared a photo of a bill of his tea on board the Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express train. While food items are usually a bit expensive on flights and trains, the unusual service charge caught the internet's attention. Service charge rates on food items hover between 5 to 10 percent but the Shatabdi Express passenger was charged 250 percent of the price of the items.
The bill mentioned the cost of one cup of tea as Rs 20 on which a service fee of Rs 50 was charged.
₹20 का चाई पर ₹50 का GST. कुल मिलाकर ₹70 का एक चाई,
हैं ना कमाल का लूट
Series of such complaints to @IRCTCofficial fall on deaf ears at @RailMinIndia
and the private players have a loot in “connivance” with the 🤫 pic.twitter.com/Ayir5vGITL— Deepak Kumar Jha (@journalistjha) June 30, 2022
20 रुपये की चाय पर 50 रुपये का टैक्स, सच मे देश का अर्थशास्त्र बदल गया, अभी तक तो इतिहास ही बदला था! pic.twitter.com/ZfPhxilurY
— Balgovind Verma (@balgovind7777) June 29, 2022
However, the passenger was not charged any extra fee illegally. According to a 2018 circular by the Indian Railways, when a passenger doesn't book their meal while making reservations on trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, or Duronto express, a service charge of Rs 50 will be charged for any food item ordered during the travel. The service range is uniform and applicable to even a cup of tea. A separate receipt with other applicable taxes is provided by IRCTC to the passenger.
Previously, food services were mandatory for premium trains that include Rajdhani and Shatabadi. However, the service was made optional in 2017, and passengers are now required to specify if they want it to be included in their tickets. The cost of the catering services is then removed from the ticket cost.
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, catering services were suspended on all trains to avoid the possibility of the virus infection.
In absence of cooked food during the journey, the passengers were required to carry their own food or choose from the options of packed food. The catering services finally resumed in November 2021with trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, and Gatiman Express trains.
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