Cockroach in meal served in Vande Bharat Express; Railway warns IRCTC, licensee

After the matter came to light, IRCTC replaced the passenger's breakfast and also fined the licensee. Indian Railways has warned of action against IRCTC and the licensee if such lapses occur in future.

Bhopal:Railways has taken action against the catering licensee after a passenger travelling on Bhopal's Rani Kamalapati-Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddum Vande Bharat Express complained of cockroach in his meal served by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on July 24.

The passenger, who was travelling on seat no 57 of coach no 20171 from Bhopal to Gwalior discovered a cockroach in the plate of parathas that was served to him for breakfast. Expressing concern over the quality of food served on the trains, the passengers shared photographs of his meal on Twitter.

Acting promptly on the complaint, IRCTC apologised and replaced the passenger's meal. Also, it imposed a fine on the food service provider and has intensified supervision at the source kitchen. IRCTC officials have asked the licensee to take necessary precautions while preparing food in the source kitchen in Bhopal and to ensure proper pest control measures. They said that the source kitchen will be inspected from time to time. To rule out chances of any lapses, IRCTC has decided to hold inspections more frequently, officials said.

The Indian Railways has also assured of necessary action against the accused and stated that measures are on to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again. Railway officials said that punitive action has been taken against the licensee along with issuing a clear message of zero tolerance for such lapses. Both the IRCTC and the licensee have been warned of stern action if such complaints are received in future.

There are several incidents in the past where passengers took to Twitter to raise complaints of poor food quality on Vande Bharat Express.