Vendors make hay while sun doesn’t shine
Fog leaves passengers stranded at NDLS, food sellers cash in on situation
While passengers are having a tough time being stranded for hours at the New Delhi railway station — as most of the trains to North and East India are running behind schedule — tea and coffee vendors and even large food outlets are making a fast buck.
The long queue at Jan Ahaar cafetaria, selling Janta Meal, economy meals and other popular regional cuisines is a case in point. “On a normal day we do a business of Rs 10,000. These days our sales has gone up to Rs 25,000,” said a vendor at Jan Ahaar, which serves passengers round the clock.
Asked about the items high in demand, the vendor said everything, including packed lunch, snacks and water bottles, were selling like hot cakes.
With the capital witnessing a foggy day on Sunday at the maximum temperature reaching 23 degrees, vendors selling tea and coffee also had a field day. “Sale of tea and coffee has gone up manifold. In fact, we are not being able to meet the demand of customers because we are not getting enough time to boil water in the tea dispenser,” said Sudarshan, a tea vendor on platform 16.
According to the weather forecast, foggy conditions are likely to prevail for quite some time in the northern and entire Gangetic belt, thus affecting train schedule in the national capital, which spells better business prospects for the vendors at the station.
