Passenger Appeals to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Over Substandard Food Quality on Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Express
NEW DELHI: A video petition addressed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw by a passenger traveling on the Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Express has drawn public attention to catering quality concerns aboard premium train services, calling for strict administrative oversight and vendor accountability.
In the video message, the passenger detailed his experience regarding meal quality on the August 16 journey, raising broader questions about supply chain monitoring and catering standards across high-speed rail corridors.
Details of the Meal Quality Complaint
The passenger, seated on seat number 8, shared specific grievances regarding the onboard food service despite paying full ticket fares that include catering charges:
- Undercooked Food Served: The passenger reported being served completely undercooked rotis during the journey, describing the food quality as severely substandard compared to basic community meal distributions.
- Vendor Identification: Upon inquiring with the onboard service staff regarding the catering provider, the passenger was informed that the contracted catering agency was identified as RK Traders.
- Systemic Quality Control Concerns: The passenger emphasized that such service lapses on the Vande Bharat Express—regarded as a flagship symbol of modern Indian Railways technology—point to institutional weaknesses in quality inspection and vendor management.
Calls for Enforcement Action and Administrative Oversight
Highlighting that meal quality issues affect widespread passenger comfort, the viral appeal urges Indian Railways and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to enforce strict penalty measures:
"If quality control remains weak aboard premium services like Vande Bharat, it reflects a major systemic gap. Railways must take strict action against defaulting vendors to ensure no passenger faces similar hardship in the future," stated the passenger in the video appeal.
The complaint adds to ongoing civic demands for routine hygiene audits, strict penalty clauses, and real-time grievance redressal mechanisms across long-distance passenger trains.