The Ministry of Railways has terminated a catering contract and imposed a Rs 50 lakh penalty on a vendor after a passenger found live worms in packaged curd served onboard the Patna–Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express on March 15, while also fining Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Rs 10 lakh for lapses in handling the complaint.
The incident occurred when a group of seven passengers were served packaged curd along with dinner. Upon opening one packet, they обнаружed live worms and insects inside. One of the passengers, Ritesh Singh, flagged the issue on X, tagging the IRCTC and the Railway Minister.
An incident-cum-action taken report by IRCTC noted that the curd packet had been sourced from Patna, with a manufacturing date of March 9, 2026, and an expiry date of April 7, 2026.
The report stated that onboard staff apologised and offered passengers dry fruit mixtures and sweet items as compensation.
"We tried to explain the situation to them in every possible manner and requested them to verify the matter at the spot. However, they refused to delete the tweet and expressed their intention that the video should go viral and trend,” the report said.
Also read: Katra-Amritsar Vande Bharat to run via Gurdaspur-Batala
Initially, the vendor, Krishna Enterprises, was fined Rs 25,000 and warned for negligence in food handling, with instructions to maintain proper cold chain practices and adhere to food safety norms.
Dissatisfied with this response, the Ministry directed stricter action. It ordered termination of the vendor’s contract and enhanced the fine to Rs 50 lakh.
"Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services so as to prevent any such incident in future," the Ministry said in its order.
"All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns," it added.
In a post on X, the Ministry said, "The complaint regarding food quality raised by a passenger in train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on 15 March, 2026 has been taken seriously.” It added, “Action taken - IRCTC has been penalised Rs 10 lakh, the service provider has been penalised with Rs 50 lakh, and has been ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priority.”
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