Railway claims debunked: 319 complaints against food served on Vande Bharat, contracted company paid nearly 15 lakhs as fines

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An RTI (Right to Information) reply has exposed that the Railways’ earlier claim of receiving no complaints about food served on Vande Bharat trains is incorrect. In the last nine months, 319 complaints were received, many of which were about poor-quality food.

Most of these complaints came from passengers on the Vande Bharat train running between Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. From January to April this year alone, the catering company responsible was fined ₹14.87 lakh due to these complaints.

Recently, videos surfaced showing food for Vande Bharat trains being prepared in unhygienic conditions. However, the Railways has not yet taken action to change the catering contractor. Reports suggest that the company has a strong influence and continues to win contracts in various places through different proxy names.