IRCTC switches to flameless cooking: Electric & solar-powered meals on the way!

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The impact of the war raging in West Asia and the deepening global gas crisis has now reached the kitchens of the Indian Railways. Due to the ongoing tension between Iran, Israel and America, the possibility of disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders is increasing continuously. In such a situation, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has taken a big and important step to ensure that food reaches the plates of millions of passengers travelling in trains without any interruption. Taking the help of advanced technology, the Railways has taken steps towards making its base kitchens completely 'flameless'.

What is the new flameless kitchen system of Railways?

IRCTC official Reeba, while giving information about this major change, said that to reduce the dependence on gas, the base kitchen is being converted into a flameless kitchen. Currently, 50 percent of the food prepared in the base kitchen is now prepared directly on electric induction systems. This includes passengers' favorite dal, rice, roti, and various vegetable gravies. In the coming days, the scope of this modern technology will be further expanded so that even in case of gas shortage, the speed of cooking does not slow down.

Passengers' food will be cooked by installing solar panels on the rooftops

Amid the gas crisis, the Railways is not relying solely on electricity, but is also making full use of natural energy. According to officials, IRCTC is also working on a long-term plan to install large-scale solar panels on the roofs of all base kitchens. The electricity generated by these solar panels will be used as an alternative fuel, and meals will be cooked for passengers in this eco-friendly manner.

Arrangements for 25 cylinders are being made in advance

Addressing passengers' concerns, IRCTC clarified that it currently has no shortage of commercial LPG cylinders and operations are running smoothly. Each base kitchen prepares meals for approximately 25,000 passengers daily. Typically, one commercial cylinder is used to prepare meals for 1,000 people, so a base kitchen requires 25 gas cylinders daily. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, the Railways is booking and arranging gas in advance.

Instructions for keeping ready-to-eat food for emergencies

According to the Railways, IRCTC handles the enormous task of serving meals to approximately 1.65 million passengers across the country every day. In light of the current international crisis and potential LPG shortages, IRCTC has issued a strict alert to all its catering units. All units have been instructed to immediately arrange for additional electric induction cookers and ovens. Additionally, they have been instructed to keep a large quantity of ready-to-eat food ready in case of an emergency, such as a complete gas supply outage, so that no passenger faces any food or drink problems during their journey.