IRCTC received 6,645 complaints related to food quality in 2024-25: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

In 2024-25, 6,645 complaints related to poor quality of food were reported by passengers, out of which in 1,341 cases fines were imposed on the food suppliers, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Of the total, in 2,995 cases warnings were issued, in 1,547 cases suitable advisories were given and other measures were taken in the remaining 762 cases, Vaishnaw said in the reply.

CPI(M) MP John Brittas raised the issues of food quality in trains and transparency in the award of contracts to companies.

When asked to provide details regarding instances of seizure of unhygienic food items from the railway caterers as well as complaints filed by passengers regarding the quality and safety of food served on trains in the last five years, the Railway Minister presented the data in a tabular form.

Vaishnaw said, "Prompt and appropriate punitive action, including imposition of fines, disciplinary action, counselling, warning etc., is taken in case any instance of adulterated/unhygienic food or passenger complaint is reported."

According to the data, in 2023-24, 2022-23, and 2021-22, the number of complaints received from passengers was 7,026, 4,421, and 1,082, respectively.

Brittas asked "whether Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) awarded contracts across multiple railway routes, including Vande Bharat and other long-distance services, to a corporate group using multiple affiliate entities."

In his reply, the Union minister said that the IRCTC regularly floats tenders to select service providers for the provision of onboard catering services in trains, including Vande Bharat and other long-distance trains.

"These tenders are awarded through a transparent process to the highest bidders as per the terms and conditions stipulated in the tender documents. The details of Letters of Award (LOA), issued to multiple service providers, are published on the website of IRCTC. At present, contracts of clusters of trains have been awarded by IRCTC to 20 entities," Vaishnaw said.

He provided various measures taken to maintain food quality, such as the supply of meals from designated Base Kitchens, commissioning of modern Base Kitchens at identified locations, Installation of CCTV Cameras in Base Kitchens, shortlisting and use of popular and branded raw materials, deployment of Food Safety Supervisors at Base Kitchens to monitor food safety and hygienic practices among others.