Vendor ban, some ups some downs

KOCHI: With the ban on food vendors strictly being implemented, passengers feel that a bit of quiet and peace has been restored to the once extremely noisy stations.“The typical noise and rush of the vendors crowding the stations every time the trains stopped has been reduced.  There is no pushing or shoving even among the vendors,” said Mathew Paul of the Passengers Association.Also, the Railway Protection Force officials said that the ban has greatly helped increase the security of the passengers which otherwise were at a threat. “Before the ban, many of the vendors who entered the railway platforms were fake, donning  a Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) uniform. Some used to even enter the trains. Cases of chain snatching and pickpocketing, registered by the passengers had reached the ears of the authorities. These activities are expected to come down.”The ban has pleased  those in the Railway pantry services, as they feel the platform vendors were a threat to their jobs. Authorities said, “They have always felt that these unlicensed vendors do not have the right to be selling food items inside the trains that have pantry services,” an official said.Apart from this, some  passengers feel that the nuisance of the vendors selling snacks in the night while they are asleep has stopped.But most passengers still believe that the railway authorities have taken an extremely harsh step which in turn has affected many people. Babu S, a sales person at the Food Plaza at Ernakulam South said, “The ban should not have been sudden which has rendered thousands of authorised vendors jobless and passengers hungry. For  people  in passenger trains that halt only for two minutes, this has become a grave problem.” Many are of the opinion that instead of a complete ban, the vendors should be issued licenses, with strict regulations and checking done on them.