Passengers take ill, pin parantha to Shatabdi book

NEW DELHI, SEPT 8: Railway officials at the New Delhi Railway Station had an `unusual’ object in their complaint book last Sunday. A passenger of Shatabdi Express on the Bhopal-New Delhi route insisted on attaching a parantha served on the train to complain about the stale food served on the Express.

Some 35-40 people had reportedly taken ill after eating the food, especially the paneer. Besides vomiting, passengers complained of stomach disorder. The paneer was not the only cause for complaint. Passengers said the parantha were as hard as rock. The food was served by the catering department of Indian Tourism Development Corporation. “The food served on the train was collected at Agra station,” says an official. Sources say the Railways’ catering contract with ITDC had expired on August 31. As a new contract had not been signed, ITDC was asked to continue service until fresh arrangements were made.

But after the September 3 incident, the temporary arrangement has been stopped with immediate effect. Until new arrangements are made, the Railways will be operating the catering service on its own.

Recounting the events of Sunday night, a railway official said that after the train reached New Delhi station, some four-five people barged into the Station Superintendent’s office. “They were agitated as 35-40 people had reportedly fallen ill after consuming the food,” he said and added: “They not only lodged their complaint but also insisted that they would attach the parantha.”