Back to the kulhad: Railways swap paper cups for clay at 12 WR stations, but vendors cry foul
The Railway Board recently issued fresh instructions making it mandatory for tea and buttermilk to be served in kulhads instead of paper cups at 12 stations on WR's suburban and mainline routes. These include key stations like Dadar, Bandra, Andheri, Mumbai Central, Palghar and Dahanu Road, along with Bilimora, Valsad, Vapi, Navsari, Surat and Nandurbar.
'Food and juice stalls on platforms and concourses have been informed about the change,' confirmed a WR official. As per the new norms, tea must be served in 170 ml kulhads, and buttermilk in 220 ml ones.
A throwback to Lalu's kulhad pitch
This isn't the first time the kulhad has made its way into railway policy. The idea was first floated in 2004 by then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav as a way to support rural potters and promote cleanliness. The concept made a brief return in 2019 when Piyush Goyal, then Railways Minister, proposed using kulhads at over 400 stations—touting it as a win-win for the environment and India's pottery industry.
But in both instances, the initiative failed to find long-term footing. Higher costs, inconsistent supply, and logistical issues led to a quiet return of cheaper paper and plastic cups.
Now, it's official—again
This time around, the Railways is pushing for what it calls 'kulhad compliance,' a term that sounds almost as earthy as the cups themselves. But stall owners aren't exactly raising a toast.
'It's just not practical,' said a member of the Western Railway Caterers Association. 'Our margins are already wafer-thin. A kulhad costs anywhere between ₹4 to ₹8, while a paper cup is just 50 paise to ₹1. Serving tea at ₹5 or ₹6 in a ₹6 cup doesn't make business sense.'
Pricing, pottery, and practicality
There's more. Most of these kulhads are custom-made and not easily available in bulk. In Mumbai, many are sourced from potters in Dharavi, but the supply isn't consistent—and costs can spike based on size and quality. The more polished porcelain versions seen in supermarkets are costlier still.
Then there's the matter of logistics. Stall owners say they already lose up to 30% of paper cups in transit due to damage. Losing fragile kulhads in transport could make things worse.
Cleanliness is another concern. 'Unlike paper cups that can be easily crushed and disposed of, broken kulhads lying around the station can be hazardous for passengers,' said a stall operator.
Interestingly, most stalls don't even stock buttermilk regularly. 'It's time-consuming to prepare and there's low demand,' said another vendor. 'Our customers mostly buy tea, or cold drinks like nimbu paani and kokum.'
'While the Railways' kulhad push checks the right boxes in terms of sustainability and support to traditional potters, it may need a little more groundwork—literally and figuratively—to win over vendors who actually have to serve chai every day. Until then, for many of us, the kulhad might be a nice idea on paper—but far from a cup of tea we can afford,' said one of the vendors at the Western Line.
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