A passenger of a Vande Bharat Express train said that she found a dead cockroach in the meal that was served to her on board, sparking reactions on social media and questions about the quality of food served on Indian trains.
The passenger was travelling from Rani Kamlapati to Jabalpur Junction on Vande Bharat Express when he found a cockroach in the meal served by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The passenger, Dr Shubhendu Keshari, shared pictures of the meal on microblogging platform X, after which IRCTC also took note of the matter and responded to the viral post.
Dr Shubhendu Keshari in his post also shared a picture of the complaint he filed at Jabalpur station about the unsanitary condition of the food. "I was travelling on 1/02/2024 train no. 20173 RKMP to JBP [Vande Bharat Exp] I was traumatized by seeing dead COCKROACH in the food packet given by them".
Responding to this, IRCTC wrote: "Sir, our sincere apology for the experience you had.The matter is viewed seriously, and the hefty penalty has been imposed on the concerned service provider. Moreover, monitoring has been strengthened at the source," IRCTC wrote.
Railway Seva responded separately to the X post and said that a complaint has been registered. "Your complaint has been registered on RailMadad and complaint no. has been sent through SMS on your mobile number," they wrote.
(With PTI inputs)
