Vande Bharat passenger finds cockroach in food, IRCTC replies

NEW DELHI: A passenger, Dr. Shubhendu Keshari was shocked to find a dead cockroach in the food served by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Vande Bharat Express on Thursday.
Keshari was traveling from Kamlapati to Jabalpur Junction. In a post on X, the passenger shared photos of a non-vegetarian Thali he received onboard the semi-high-speed train, revealing a dead cockroach inside.

The images prompted varied reactions from social media users.Dr. Keshari also shared photos of a filed complaint at Jabalpur station about the unhygienic food conditions on the train.
Keshari wrote, "I was traveling on 1/02/2024 on train no. 20173 RKMP to JBP (Vande Bharat Exp), and I was traumatized by seeing a dead COCKROACH in the food packet given by them."
In response to the viral post, IRCTC issued an apology, announcing a heavy fine imposed on the service provider.
"Sir, we sincerely apologise for the experience you had. The matter is viewed seriously, and a hefty penalty has been imposed on the concerned service provider. Moreover, monitoring has been strengthened at the source," Irctc wrote.
In a separate response the Railway Seva said, "Your complaint has been registered on RailMadad, and a complaint number has been sent through SMS to your mobile number."
Netizens swarmed the comment section and expressed disappointment.
One user said, "Thanks for exposing the quality, I'm never gonna order from railways again.”
"Really bad service on the Vande Bharat Train. I request immediate action against this vendor and the cancellation of his food license." Another user added.