New Delhi: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on a catering service provider firm 'Araha Hospitality Pvt Ltd' after a passenger reported the finding a fly in a meal served onboard the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Rajdhani Express.
A show-cause notice has aslo been issued to the food vender for termination of its licence.
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According to IRCTC officials, the incident occurred on Tuesday when a passenger, who had opted for a combo lunch during the journey, complained about the presence of a fly in the vegetarian biryani served to him. The passenger also raised concerns regarding the quality of the food.
Following the complaint, the train captain and the onboard catering manager immediately attended to the passenger. Officials said the catering staff apologised for the inconvenience caused and offered a replacement meal, which the passenger declined.
IRCTC stated that the meals served on the train had been supplied by the food vendor from its licensed base kitchen in Surat.
According to official documents, IRCTC had conducted an inspection of the base kitchen on June 15, while a scheduled deep-cleaning exercise was carried out on June 18.
IRCTC said the licensee has been warned over the lapses observed in food preparation and packaging processes and has been directed to implement immediate corrective measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
The corporation has instructed the catering firm to ensure procurement of fresh raw materials with adequate shelf life and to verify the quality of ingredients before use. It has also emphasised regular inspection of storage containers used for rice, pulses, flour, spices and other food items to prevent contamination and maintain food quality.
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Further, IRCTC has directed the licensee to strengthen quality control, hygiene and packaging practices across all stages of food preparation and handling. The firm has also been asked to implement effective preventive measures to eliminate the possibility of foreign objects entering food products and to ensure compliance with prescribed food safety standards.
Railway Ministry officials said that nearly 16 lakh meals are served daily across the Indian Railways network. They added that various measures are being undertaken from time to time to improve food quality, hygiene standards and overall passenger services on trains.
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