Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani passenger finds cockroach in meal served on train, shares picture

In a shocking incident, a passenger travelling in the Rajdhani Express train between Delhi and Mumbai found a cockroach in the meal served to him. The passenger, Yogesh More, had ordered an extra omelette for his two-year-old daughter, but upon receiving the meal, he discovered the cockroach on the omelette. Moreover, he tweeted about the incident and tagged the Railway Ministry and the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, in his complaint. Although Rail Seva, the online support service for Railway users, responded to More’s tweet, it is not clear what action has been taken in response to the incident.


The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has received more than 5,000 complaints related to the quality of food on trains in the past seven months, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The minister stated that it is the continuous endeavour of the Indian Railways to provide good quality and hygienic food to passengers as per norms and standards prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).


The Indian Railways introduced the Optional Catering Service in September 2019. in an effort to improve the quality of food served on premium trains. This service allows passengers to opt-out of pre-paid catering facilities provided on premium trains, such as the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Gatiman, Tejas, and Vande Bharat, at the time of booking their tickets.

Sometimes, such complaints can have a very different ending. In 2019, a similar case was reported when someone complained of a “lizard” in the food. A man in his 70s was caught playing this trick on the Railways to get free food. He would complain about the food being contaminated, only to be served free food. He was caught when a Divisional Commercial Manager identified the man from the photo as the one who had earlier played the same trick on the Railways.

FAQs

Q1. Who is the current Railway Minister?
Ans. Ashwini Vaishnaw is the current Railway Minister.

Q2. What is the role of The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation?
Ans. The role of The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is to upgrade, professionalize and manage the catering and hospitality services at stations and on trains.