Insect found in sambar: Railway officials apologise to Vande Bharat passenger from Madurai

Passenger finds insect in train meal, Southern Railway takes action, imposes penalty on contractor, conducts investigation.

A passenger traveling in Train No. 20666 in Tirunelveli-Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express found an insect in a sambar served with breakfast on a train from Madurai on Saturday (November 16, 2024).

According to the official statement of the Southern Railway Madurai division, the complaint was raised at 8 a.m. on Saturday (November 16, 2024), shortly after the train departed from Madurai.

“The food, supplied by the Tirunelveli-based kitchen managed by Ms. Brindavan Food Products, was inspected immediately by the onboard manager, Chief Catering Inspector (CIR), Chief Commercial Inspector (CCI) and Assistant Commercial Manager (ACM). The insect was found stuck to the lid of the casserole container, appearing uncooked, suggesting possible post-preparation contamination,” the statement said.

Later, the officials apologised to the passenger and assured strict action against the licensee and arranged an alternative meal from Dindigul station, which the passenger declined.

“The contaminated food package was handed over to the health inspector at Dindigul for quality checks. Preliminary inspections of other food packages revealed no abnormalities. A thorough inspection of the mini pantry area, where food packages were distributed, confirmed it was hygienic, with no signs of insect presence,” the statement said.

The Food Safety Officer, Health Inspector, and Chief Commercial Inspector from Tirunelveli conducted a joint inspection of the base kitchen and collected food samples for testing.

A penalty of ₹50,000 was imposed on the contractor for negligence, and further action is being pursued.