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Passenger finds cockroach in meal served on Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, railway responds
The anguished passenger on Monday shared the images of the food on Twitter complaining about the meal served to him, sparking outrage.
In a shocking incident, a passenger on board Bhopal's Rani Kamalapati station- Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station Vande Bharat Express discovered a cockroach in his meal served by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on July 24.
The anguished passenger on Monday shared the images of the food on Twitter complaining about the meal served to him, sparking outrage and raising concerns about food quality on Indian trains.
The passenger, with the username @subodhpahalajan shared the images on Twitter and said, “@IRCTCofficial found a cockroach in my food, in the vande bharat train. #Vandebharatexpress.”
The IRCTC quickly responded to the complaint and issued an apology for the disgusting experience and also imposed a hefty fine on the food service provider.
"Sir, our sincere apology for the unpleasant experience. Matter has been viewed seriously . Concerned service provider has been strictly warned to take due precautions during food preparation . Also, a hefty penalty has been imposed on the service provider and monitoring has also been further strengthened at the source kitchen," it tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Indian Railways through its Twitter handle @Railsewa also issued an apology for the unpleasant experience and ensured the passenger that the necessary actions would be taken so that such incidents won't repeat.
"We did not intend for this unpleasant experience. Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such incidents will not repeat. Request you to share PNR and mobile number preferably in Direct Message (DM) with us- IRCTC Official, " it tweeted.
The Divisional Railway Manager of Bhopal also addressed the issue on Twitter, confirming that IRCTC had promptly arranged alternative food for the affected passenger. They assured that suitable punitive action had been taken against the licensee, sending a clear message of zero tolerance towards such lapses.
This incident, however, was not an isolated one. Several other passengers traveling on the same train took to Twitter to voice their complaints about the quality of food. This situation underscores the necessity for a thorough review of the food services provided by IRCTC and its licensees.
