Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation imposed a Rs10 lakh fine on the service provider after a passenger found an insect in his food served on a Vande Bharat train, which was shared by them on social media.
The issue came to light after X user Aditya Didwania shared images from his journey on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Vande Bharat train, claiming he had found an insect in the meal served onboard. He also alleged that at least two such instances were noticed in his coach, prompting passengers to stop eating altogether.
In the caption of his post, he wrote, “Found an insect in Vande Bharat train food (Ahmedabad - Mumbai). Atleast 2 such cases in my coach, everyone stopped eating after that.” He also named the vendor and tagged authorities, urging them to take action and ensure food safety standards are followed.
The post gained traction online, drawing attention to hygiene concerns in onboard catering.
Responding to the incident, IRCTC issued a statement in the comments section, writing, “Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted. The matter has been viewed with the utmost seriousness and a hefty penalty of Rs 10 lakh along with termination notice of the contract is being issued to the Service Provider. The kitchen is sealed for deep cleaning and pest control. Hygiene and passenger safety remain our top-most priority.”
The response indicated immediate action, including financial penalty, termination proceedings, and closure of the kitchen for sanitisation.
The incident also triggered a wider discussion among users about food quality and safety on trains.
“Quality control. IRCTC must send inspectors who must check from raw material (has to be good quality) Not expired, hygiene, other factors,” one user commented, calling for stricter monitoring.
Another shared a personal workaround, writing, “I always carry my own food, if in case travelling duration is longer then will prefer ordering food from some application.”
The development comes close on the heels of a similar controversy last month, when IRCTC faced penalties from the Ministry of Railways after a passenger reported finding worms in curd served during a train journey, raising repeated concerns around catering standards.
While IRCTC’s swift response in this case has been noted, the incident led to discussions on the need for consistent hygiene checks and stricter enforcement across railway food services.
Source: India Today