Beat the summer heat by taking a chilled glass of lassi from a token operated vending machine at the New Delhi Railway Station. Part of a pilot project, two lassi vending machines have been installed on platform number 16 for passengers to be able to get some relief from the scorching heat. The machines have been installed, months after the installation of a water vending machine.
The Indian Railways aims at introducing traditional and healthy beverages at railway stations so people have better options for beverages than taking the aerated soft drinks. It is learnt that the machines are being operated by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) and the drink is being supplied by Mother Dairy as told by senior officials.
According to a Mother Dairy spokesperson, Mother Dairy uses the ‘bag-in-box model’ to deliver lassi as it is difficult to produce fresh lassi at the station. The bag goes inside the machine as it is and is dispensed the way soft drinking vending machines do.
In a recent update shared by an IRCTC official, 300 glasses were sold on the first day, that too within two hours of its functionality. Lassi is any day healthier than soft drinks. With this initiative, it would not only be easy to promote milk products but also aid the welfare of farmers. He also added that fresh lassi wouldn’t have been as fresh if preservatives would have been added, so it was important to have a machine that followed a concept where only fresh lassi was provided to consumers.
The process is quite simple; the air-tight packets of lassi are transported to the railway station and put into machines. Only environment-friendly paper cups are used to serve a pre-measured quantity. And it is important to use the packets within 48 hours.
