Madurai: Southern Railways issued a clarification after a passenger aboard a Vande Bharat Express discovered an insect in the sambar that was served with breakfast on Saturday. The passenger travelling in the 20666 Tirunelveli-Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat lodged a complaint shortly after the train departed from Madurai.

The Railways also extended an apology to the passenger and promised stern action against the licensee.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to report the incident and asked what steps were being taken to address the issue. He wrote, “Dear @AshwiniVaishnaw ji, live insects were found in the food served on the Tirunelveli-Chennai #VandeBharatExpress Passengers have raised concerns over hygiene and IRCTC’s accountability. What steps are being taken to address this and ensure food safety on premium trains?”

The passenger’s complaint prompted an immediate inspection by the Onboard Manager, Chief Catering Inspector (CIR), Chief Commercial Inspector (CCI), and Assistant Commercial Manager (ACM). They examined the food prepared at the Tirunelveli base kitchen, operated by Brindavan Food Products.

The investigation revealed that the insect was stuck to the casserole container’s lid and appeared uncooked, indicating post-preparation contamination.

Officials apologised to the passenger and offered an alternate meal at Dindigul station, which the passenger declined. The contaminated food was handed over to the Dindigul Health Inspector for further quality checks.

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