Mumbai: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has debroaded 203 unauthorised vendors from various long-distance trains departing Mumbai between January 31 and February 22, officials aware of the matter told Hindustan Times. The vendors were deboarded during a special drive which will continue till February 28, after which the IRCTC will decide on fines and other punitive action against the accused vendors and private contractors who may be involved, the officials said.
“The vendors were neither in uniform, nor carrying QR code-based identity cards issued to the staff of licensed contractors on trains,” a senior IRCTC official said, requesting anonymity. “They were found selling food, tea, coffee, snacks and bottled water at higher rates than prescribed.”
The IRCTC had, in November 2025, made it mandatory for all vendors under licensed pantry and food contractors to wear uniforms and carry identity cards. New uniforms for pantry staff under private contractors carry a QR code linked to the menu, price chart and a helpline number for grievances.
IRCTC sources said that when officials questioned the vendors, they claimed to be working under the licensed contractor for the train in question.
“We are trying to find out how the unauthorised vendors got information regarding the concerned contractors and may blacklist three contractors whose name cropped up multiple times on different trains during the ongoing drive,” a second IRCTC official said.
A majority of the vendors were deboarded from trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, the official added.
To curb overcharging and reduce use of cash, the IRCTC is working on equipping authorised vendors’ identity cards with a QR code for digital payments, officials said. On average, the western zone alone receives 100-120 complaints per day and 35-40% of these concern overcharging for bottled water and food served by the staff of licensed contractors, officials said.