The official X account of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has apologised to a couple who found a ‘cockroach’ in their food served during their journey from Bhopal to Agra on the Vande Bharat Express.

Vidit Varshney, an X user, posted an angry complaint as he alleged that his uncle and aunt were served a meal on the Vande Bharat Express in which they found a ‘cockroach’.

“On 18-06-24, my uncle and aunt were travelling from Bhopal to Agra in Vande Bharat. They got ‘COCKROACH’ in their food from @IRCTCofficial. Please take strict action against the vendor and make sure this would not happen again @RailMinIndia @ AshwiniVaishnaw @RailwaySeva,” Vidit said in his post that has gone viral with over 69,000 views.

Two days after Vidit shared the post, IRCTC issued an apology and also added that a “suitable penalty” has been imposed on concerned service provider.

“Sir, we apologise for the travel experience you had. The matter has been viewed seriously and suitable penalty has been imposed on concerned service provider. We have also intensified the production and logistics monitoring,” IRCTC said.

This incident has once again raised concerns regarding safety standards of food served in the railways. In February, a man flagged a similar complaint as he was “traumatised” after discovering a “dead cockroach” in his meal served during his journey via the Rewa Vande Bharat Express.

In January as well, a passenger travelling via the Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Varanasi alleged that stale food was served to him and others during the journey.

Source: India Today