Rat seen eating puff at Surat railway station, Western Railway orders sealing of eatery

A food stall at Surat railway station has been sealed after a video of a rat eating puff at the outlet went viral on social media, TOI reported. Western Railway officials took action after passengers raised concerns over the incident and have begun proceedings that could lead to further penalties, including cancellation of the contractor’s licence.

The roughly 30-second video is believed to have been recorded by a passenger at around 3.30 am on Saturday or Sunday, when the Kolhapur-Ahmedabad Express and Dadar-Ektanagar Express arrive at Surat station.

The footage shows a stall named ‘Dinesh Associates Tea Stall’ on Platform 1. The person recording the video moves the camera across the food outlet while a rat is seen eating a puff.


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Railway authorities seal food outlet

Western Railway confirmed that the footage was recorded at Surat railway station. Public relations officer Anubhav Saxena told TOI that officials acted after becoming aware of the video and immediately shut the outlet.

“We sealed the food outlet as soon as we came to know about the video. We have also started proceedings to cancel the licence of the contractor. We launched an inquiry into the incident and will ensure that all necessary steps are taken to prevent such incidents in the future. We will also decide on the fine to be imposed on the contractor soon,” Saxena said.

Authorities have initiated an inquiry into the incident and are considering additional action against the contractor. The amount of any fine will be decided separately.

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Incident comes amid focus on railway food safety

The development comes as Western Railway has been highlighting measures aimed at improving food hygiene and drinking water standards across its network.

According to the railway, 1,000 food samples were tested between April and August 19, with an overall fitness rate of 98%.

As part of its efforts to promote safe, hygienic and healthy food practices, 51 Western Railway stations and 13 railway campuses have also received ‘Eat Right’ certificates.

The incident at Surat station has nevertheless raised fresh concerns about hygiene at food outlets serving railway passengers.