Insect in sambar: Southern Railway issues clarification, apologises to Vande Bharat passenger

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 17 (ANI): The Southern Railways issued a clarification after a passenger on a Vande Bharat Express complained of finding an insect in the sambar served during the commute.
A passenger travelling in train number 20666 in Tirunelveli-Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express found an insect in a sambar served with breakfast on a train from Madurai on Saturday. He lodged the complaint, shortly after the train departed from Madurai.
The Railways also extended an apology to the passenger and promised stern action against the licensee.
According to officials, the Onboard Manager, Chief Catering Inspector (CIR), Chief Commercial Inspector (CCI) and Assistant Commercial Manager (ACM) inspected the food supplied by the Tirunelveli base kitchen managed by Brindavan Food Products.
The investigation revealed that the insect was found stuck to the lid of the casserole container, appearing uncooked, suggesting possible post-preparation contamination.
Officials apologized to the passenger, promised stern action against the licensee, and offered an alternate meal at Dindigul station, which the customer declined.
The packet of contaminated food was given to the Dindigul Health Inspector for quality assurance.
Preliminary inspections of other food containers indicated no anomalies. A comprehensive assessment of the little pantry area, where food packets were given, revealed that it was clean, with no signs of insect activity, a statement of the Railways said.
"To further investigate the source of the contamination, a joint inspection was conducted by the Food Safety Officer, Health Inspector, and Chief Commercial Inspector from Tirunelveli at the base kitchen. Food samples were collected and sent for testing," the statement mentioned.
The Railways said that a penalty of Rs 50,000 has been imposed on Brindavan Food Products, for negligence, with further action under consideration. The Railways are conducting a detailed investigation into the incident, exploring all possibilities related to the source of the contamination, the statement added.
Further, the railways assured of providing quality food to passengers and assured of conducting regular inspections to monitor food standards. It also advised to register complaints on Rail Madad system, to ensure timely resolution and follow-up, it added. (ANI)