Vande Bharat Express. File picture
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Railways has tightened its grip on its own company, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), by imposing a fine of ₹10 lakh following a passenger’s complaint.
A complaint regarding the quality of food found on train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on March 15 has been taken seriously, and a penalty of ₹10 lakh has been imposed on IRCTC. Along with this, a fine of ₹50 lakh has been imposed on the concerned service provider, and the contract termination has been ordered.
An Indian Railways spokesperson stated that passenger safety and quality are our top priorities.
Meanwhile, Ministry said that Indian Railways serves nearly 58 crore meals annually across its trains, with complaints averaging only about 0.0008%, which includes complaints related to overcharging. Following inquiries into these complaints, fines amounting to ₹2.6 crore have been imposed over the past three years.
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Published – March 27, 2026 06:39 pm IST
