The Vande Bharat train is making headlines for a bad reason. On June 18, a couple traveling from Bhopal to Agra found a cockroach in their meal.
Their nephew, Vidit Varshney, shared pictures of the food with the cockroach on social media. He complained about the poor food quality served to his uncle and aunt. “On 18-06-24, my Uncle and Aunt were traveling from Bhopal to Agra in Vande Bharat. They found a ‘COCKROACH’ in their food from IRCTC. Please take strict action against the vendor and make sure this does not happen again,” Varshney posted.
The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) responded by apologizing and saying they had fined the service provider. They also said they are now watching food production and delivery more closely.
“Sir, we apologize for the travel experience you had. The matter has been viewed seriously and a suitable penalty has been imposed on the concerned service provider. We have also intensified the production and logistics monitoring,” replied IRCTC.
This incident sparked various reactions on social media. One user said, “This is a serious problem as the most premium train of India, Vande Bharat, is having these issues. Seriously disappointed.” Others made sarcastic comments, calling the cockroach a source of “protein.”
This is not the first time such an incident has happened on the Vande Bharat train. In February, a passenger named Dr. Shubhendu Keshari also found a dead cockroach in his food while traveling from Kamlapati to Jabalpur Junction. Last July, the railways fined a food vendor Rs 25,000 after a passenger on the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express discovered a cockroach in their meal.
