The Railways has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp. and Rs 50 lakh on a service provider, whose contract was terminated after worms were found in curd served to a passenger on a Vande Bharat trai, according to reports.
The termination and penalty came after a complaint from a passenger onboard a Vande Bharat train who cited maggots (live worms) found in the curd served to them. The complaint was filed by the passenger on the Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express in Patna. The Railway authority has said that it has taken action after investigating the incident.
They stated that the safety and well-being of passengers as well as high quality of service continues to be a major priority for them. Officials stated that they are putting in place stringent inspection mechanisms to make sure such an incident does not happen again.
According to video footage, many passengers discovered maggots in their food items with an attendant noting that the yogurt cup was manufactured on March 4 but served on March 11.
Passengers reprimanded staff for not checking their food before serving it to them.
"The matter has been viewed seriously, and punitive action has been taken against the service provider concerned. Strict instructions have also been issued to ensure adherence to our safety and hygiene protocols to prevent any recurrence," IRCTC had said in a statement on X reacting to the incident.
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