Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Indian Railways, on Saturday, imposed a fine of Rs 45k on a catering company responsible for preparing and delivering meals on the Bhopal-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express after a passenger spotted a cockroach in his food.

The catering company, Express Food Company, based in Itarsi, faced penalties from both the Jabalpur Rail Division of Rs 25,000 and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) of Rs 20,000.

Last week, a passenger named Shubhendu Keshari spotted a cockroach in his meal on board Vande Bharat, prompting him to tweet about the unhygienic food. Responding promptly to the passenger’s complaint, the Railway Board took action against the catering company responsible, imposing a substantial fine of ₹45,000.

The penalties aim to hold the catering company accountable for lapses in hygiene and serve as a warning for future adherence to strict quality control measures.

Notably, on February 1, a passenger on the Vande Bharat Express from Rani Kamlapati to Jabalpur claimed that discovering a dead cockroach in his meal had “traumatised” him. After getting off at the Jabalpur railway station, he officially complained to the West Central Railway. Two days after the incident, the man reported it on X. IRCTC wrote him an apology in response to the tweet.