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LIVE worms in Vande Bharat train’s food: In an unusual move, the Railway Board on Wednesday, March 25, levied penalties on its own PSU, the Indian Railway Catering
and Tourism Corporation, after a complaint was lodged by a passenger on the Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express train over the quality of food served on the train last week. The IRCTC was fined Rs 10 lakh, and the catering contractor was fined Rs 50 lakh. The Board also ordered the IRCTC to terminate its contract with Krishna Enterprises. The IRCTC will conduct an investigation and submit its report to the Railways. Although this is not the first time the Indian Railways has taken action against the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. Here's what happened exactly!
LIVE worms in Vande Bharat train’s food
The IRCTC was fined Rs 10 lakh, and the catering contractor was fined Rs 50 lakh because the Railway Board received a complaint from a passenger regarding a worm found in food items served in Train No. 21896 (PNBE TATA Vande Bharat Express), which was reported on March 15 and has been viewed very seriously by the Board.
This incident reflects a lack of proper supervision on the part of IRCTC. Considering the gravity of the lapses, the Competent Authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakhs on IRCTC for such a deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services to prevent any such incident in future: Railways
As part of the action:
- A penalty of Rs 10 lakh has been imposed on Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which manages catering services across Indian Railways.
- The concerned service provider has been fined Rs 50 lakh.
- In addition to this, orders have been issued for the termination of the service provider’s contract.
A spokesperson from Indian Railways emphasised that passenger safety and service quality remain their top priorities. The authority reiterated that any violation of food safety or quality standards would lead to immediate and strict action.
It is important to note that Indian Railways, through IRCTC, serves meals to over 1.5 million passengers daily across its vast network, making it one of the largest onboard catering operations in the world. Maintaining hygiene, food quality, and passenger trust is central to this mission.
This action reflects the Railways’ commitment to accountability and its zero-tolerance policy toward negligence in passenger services, especially in premium trains like the Vande Bharat Express.
Impact on IRCTC model
The Indian Railways’ onboard catering service is currently being run by IRCTC, which caters to over 1.5 million passengers daily. This action is not being taken in isolation but as a step to hold the entire system accountable. Experts believe that this will only encourage the IRCTC to further tighten its monitoring and auditing of its service providers.
Truth behind viral video and investigation
The case came into the limelight when a video on the quality of the served food was posted on social media. However, the investigation found that the individual who posted the video was not on the train.
Despite this, the Railways did not dismiss the complaint and initiated the ground-level investigation. The investigation found that the served breakfast item, vada, was deep-fried, and the presence of some oil was normal. Nevertheless, the licensee was given instructions to improve quality standards.
