Indian Railways Faces 6,645 Food Quality Complaints in FY25; Fines Issued in 1,341 Cases

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav reveals rising complaints over substandard train food. While fines were imposed, concerns persist about hygiene and contractor transparency. IRCTC assures modern kitchens and CCTV monitoring, but passenger grievances demand stricter quality checks.

New Delhi: Recently, concerns were raised in the Rajya Sabha over the quality of catering services in the Indian Railways. According to data provided by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, in the financial year 2024-25, the Railways received 6,645 complaints regarding poor quality of food.

Of these, contractors were fined in 1,341 cases. Looking at the data of previous years, 7,026 complaints were registered in 2023-24, 4,421 in 2022-23, and 1,082 in 2021-22. These figures show that there has been a fluctuation in passenger complaints.

Responding to questions raised by CPI(M) MP John Brittas, the Railway Minister said that various types of action were taken on the complaints. Contractors were warned in 2,995 cases and advised in 547 cases, while other actions were taken in 762 cases.

On a question regarding unhygienic preparation of food, the minister clarified that immediate action is taken in such cases, which includes fines, warnings, and disciplinary action.

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An important issue also arose about whether contracts for many long-distance trains, including Vande Bharat, are being given to companies of the same group. On this, the minister clarified that contracts are given by IRCTC only under a transparent tender process, and only the best bidder gets this opportunity.

Talking about the steps taken by the Railways to ensure the quality of catering services, the minister said that now food is not cooked in trains but is prepared in base kitchens and supplied. These kitchens are being modernized and monitored with CCTV cameras.

Food safety supervisors monitor the entire process of preparing food to ensure compliance with hygiene and quality standards. This entire matter shows that Indian Railways is striving to provide better catering services to the passengers, but many challenges still remain.

The increasing number of complaints indicates that further improvements are needed in this direction. The railway administration will not only have to keep a strict vigil on the contractors but also ensure prompt redressal of passenger complaints.

Also, it is necessary to maintain transparency in the tender process to ensure that passengers get quality food at a reasonable price. Stay tuned to Dynamite News for further updates.