Insects found in Sambar on Vande Bharat Express, Railways imposes Rs 50,000 fine on caterer

Last updated:Nov 18, 2024 12:25 IST

The Indian Railways imposed a hefty fine of Rs 50,000 on the caterer after a passenger found insects in the sambar served on the Vande Bharat Express en route to Chennai Egmore.

The image shows the insects found in sambar served on the Vande Bharat Express. (Screenshot)

A passenger traveling on Vande Bharat Express from Tirunelveli Junction to Chennai Egmore was shocked to find insects in the sambar served on the train. He not only filed a complaint with the IRCTC but also shared images of the contaminated food, which caught the attention of Congressman Manickam Tagore, who subsequently raised concerns about ‘food safety’ in ‘premium trains’.

“Dear Ashwini Vaishnaw ji, Live insects have been found in the food served on the Tirunelveli-Chennai Vande Bharat Express,” Tagore wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

He tagged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in his post and wondered, “What steps are being taken to address this and ensure food safety in premium trains?”

Check out the contaminated food served on the Vande Bharat Express here:

After the post gained significant traction on social media, Southern Railways’ official X-handle issued a clarification on the contaminated food. The railways not only collected the food samples and sent them for testing to identify the source of the contamination, but also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the caterer.

Read| Mumbai man finds cockroaches in Dal on Vanda Bharat Express: ‘They crawled into the pantry’

“For this negligence, a fine of Rs 50,000 has been imposed on the contractor MS Brindavan Food products and further action is being taken,” Railways said in a statement.

It added: “The Railways is conducting a detailed investigation into the incident, considering all possibilities regarding the source of contamination.”

“The railways remains committed to ensuring the quality of food provided to passengers, with regular inspections on trains to monitor food standards. Passenger complaints are dealt with expeditiously through the Rail Madad system, ensuring timely resolution and follow-up,” the statement said.

According to a report by The Economic Times, a team comprising Onboard Manager, Chief Catering Inspector (CIR), Chief Commercial Inspector (CCI) and Assistant Commercial Manager (ACM) investigated the case and traced the source of the food to the Tirunelveli. basic kitchen managed by Brindavan Food Products. According to officials, the insect was stuck to the lid of the frying pan, indicating that the food was contaminated after it was prepared.

Further inspections revealed that the pantry where the food was distributed was clean and free of insects.