New Delhi: A passenger travelling from Rani Kamlapati to Jabalpur Junction on the Rewa Vande Bharat Express on February 1 was shocked to find a dead cockroach in his meal served by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The passenger named Dr Shubhendu Keshari shared several images on X of the non-vegetarian thali he received onboard the Vande Bharat Express and said that he was traumatised to see a dead cockroach in his meal.
See the post here
The images provided clearly showed the presence of the cockroach. Dr. Keshari also shared the a picture of the complaint form he has filed at Jabalpur station, about the unsanitary condition of the food. "I was travelling on 1/02/2024 train no. 20173 RKMP to JBP (Vande Bharat Exp) I was traumatized by seeing dead COCKROACH in the food packet given by them," the passenger wrote in a post on X alongside the images.
IRCTC responds
IRCTC swiftly responded to the incident, issuing an apology to the passenger for the unpleasant experience. "Sir, our sincere apology 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," the IRCTC said while reposing to the viral post.
Separately, Railway Seva responded to the tweet and said that a complaint has been registered. "Your complaint has been registered on RailMadad and complaint no. has been sent through SMS on your mobile number," they wrote.
Here's how netizens react
The comment section reflected a mix of reactions, with some users finding humor in the situation given the commonplace nature of such incidents on Indian trains. This familiarity led some to be less alarmed and more amused by the lack of change in these circumstances.
"Thanks for exposing the quality, never gonna order in railways from now," wrote one user.
“That’s so traumatic. Imagine the pain the cockroach must have gone through,” remarked one user.
Another quipped, “It was a Chicken recipe with a pinch of Cockroach,” while a third joked, “Don’t worry, they won’t charge you for extras.”
"Railways mistook this for badi cardamom... I have 3 train journey starting next week inc one at VB .. bhagwan bharose ho ga ( Maggi will be my savior)," said another user.
Since its circulation, the post, which included tags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and various other relevant railway handles, has amassed over 34k views on the platform.
This is not the first instance of a passenger encountering such a distressing situation while travelling on a train. In July 2023, a passenger shared a photo of a cockroach found in his roti served aboard the Vande Bharat Express train from Bhopal to Gwalior.
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