Passenger finds cockroach in Vande Bharat meal, railways responds
What's the story
A passenger traveling on the Vande Bharat Express from Shirdi to Mumbai, recently discovered a cockroach in his meal.
The incident has sparked a wave of concern over food safety standards on the train.
This is not the first time such an issue has been reported, with a similar incident occurring just two months ago.
The passenger, Rikki Jeswani, found the insect in his dal during dinner and lodged a written complaint with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.
Complaint details
Incident details and passenger's reaction
Jeswani took to X to share his experience, posting images and videos of the contaminated food.
He wrote, "We in Vande Bharat train now from Shirdi to Mumbai were eating dinner and found a dead cockroach in the dal...confirmed by the manager...given a written complaint 16103 dt August 19, 2014...is this new India."
Another user also shared pictures of Jeswani's written complaint along with a video showing him expressing concerns about food hygiene on the train.
Twitter Post
Read Jeswani's post here
@AshwiniVaishnaw @eCateringIRCTC @IRCTCofficial @VSOMANNA_BJP @RavneetBittu we in vande bharat train now from shirdi to mumbai were eating dinner and found a dead cockrach in the dal...confirmed by the manager...given a written complaint 16103 dt 19.08.2014...is this new india..
— Rikki M Jeswani (@JeswaniRikki) August 19, 2024
Official response
IRCTC responds to passenger's complaint
In response to Jeswani's complaint, IRCTC expressed regret over the incident and assured that strict action has been taken.
The corporation stated on X, "Sir, the inconvenience caused to you is deeply regretted. The matter has been viewed very seriously. Penalty has also been imposed upon the service provider and officials have been deputed to thoroughly inspect the kitchen unit of the service provider."
Twitter Post
Here's how railways responded
Services Sainagar Shirdi . @VandeBharatExp @PMOIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/QDVlKtJLps
— Dr Divyesh Wankhedkar (@DrDivyesh1) August 19, 2024
Public outcry
Family's concerns and social media reaction
The video also featured Jeswani's son voicing his concerns to an Indian Railways official about the quality of food served on the train.
He revealed that his elderly grandfather had consumed the same meal.
The video has since gone viral on social media with over 73,000 views and more than 1,100 likes and comments, highlighting widespread public concern over this issue.