The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
The agreement calls for UCADA to provide Helicopter ticket booking services to pilgrims visiting Shri Kedarnath Dham. In this regard, the IRCTC will provide a mobile-responsive website for booking helicopter tickets. Pilgrims will be able to book their helicopter tickets online through the IRCTC website.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lokiah Ravikumar has been appointed as the company’s director (catering services) with effect from March 22, 2023.
He holds degrees in Hotel Management and Catering Technology from the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai, as well as a Post Graduate in Tourism and a Doctorate in Tourism from Utkal University in Odisha. Ravikumar has 37 years of experience in the hospitality industry, covering catering and tourism businesses, and has extensive knowledge in business operations and management. He was the general manager of IRCTC’s corporate office in New Delhi before becoming director of catering services. IRCTC is the sole entity authorised by Indian Railways (IR) to provide catering services to railways, online railway tickets, and packaged drinking water at railway stations and trains. It is a Mini Ratna public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways.