The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has intensified inspection drives across various regions, including the Chandigarh region, to check compliance with prescribed catering standards and curb the sale of unauthorised food and beverage items on trains and at static catering units.According to officials, as part of the latest inspection drive, Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been constituted to conduct inspections in coordination with the Commercial Department of the Railways across trains and railway stations. The teams are particularly focusing on the sale and stocking of unapproved Packaged Drinking Water (PDW), food and beverage products and other items that do not conform to prescribed standards.In the latest drive in the past week, the IRCTC Regional Office, Chandigarh, inspected 51 trains at Ambala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Katra and Jammu, seizing 3,108 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water.The QRTs have also been carrying out surprise inspections of catering units across the Chandigarh Regional Office’s jurisdiction. The teams are headed by the Chief Regional Manager (CRM) and Joint General Manager (JGM), IRCTC, Chandigarh.During two surprise inspections on August 10, the QRT headed by the CRM, Chandigarh, seized 13 cartons of unauthorised products, including ice-cream and flavoured milk, at Ambala. The inspections also checked compliance with licensing and authorisation conditions, as well as prescribed hygiene and food-safety norms.A similar inspection at Saharanpur Railway Station resulted in the seizure of unauthorised ice-creams, beverages and packaged drinking water.The enforcement drive has also been extended to other regions. In the Lucknow region, the Commercial Department conducted an extensive inspection drive at railway stations between July 28 and August 8. During the drive, 117 trains were inspected and 5,241 bottles of packaged drinking water bearing unapproved brands were seized.Meanwhile, during a surprise inspection of Train Side Vending (TSV) operations of Train Nos. 19223 and 19031 at Sabarmati BG Railway Station, the IRCTC team detected the loading of unauthorised packaged drinking water and buttermilk onto the trains. The items were seized for further necessary action.Similarly, QRT teams in the Howrah and Guwahati divisions seized and disposed of unauthorised food and beverage items at several locations, including Kamakhya, Agartala, Katihar, New Jalpaiguri and Dibrugarh.The intensified inspections underline IRCTC’s efforts to ensure that only authorised and compliant food and beverage products are sold to railway passengers and that catering units adhere strictly to licensing, hygiene and food-safety requirements.Notably, on Jattvibeday, in the wake of observations made in the CAG report on drinking water quality, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with senior officials, conducted a review of drinking water arrangements across the railway network. He also ordered immediate corrective measures to ensure the availability of safe and clean drinking water for passengers.