New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The IRCTC said on Friday that it has summoned Amul, a premier dairy brand, to seek its response after live worms were allegedly found in its packaged curd served to a passenger on the Patna–Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express. The corporation’s action follows a reprimand from the railway ministry, which not only imposed heavy fines on both Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the service provider, Krishna Enterprises, but also directed termination of the contract. “IRCTC has viewed the complaints very seriously about the quality of Amul curd served in Patna-Tata Vande Bharat train,” the corporation said in a statement. It noted that it has not only imposed a substantial penalty on the licensee and Amul but has also initiated the process of terminating the contract and blacklisting the train’s licensee.
“Additionally, Amul has been summoned on March 27 to explain the grave quality concerns related to its curd,” the statement said. When contacted, the IRCTC refused to disclose the explanation provided by Amul. No immediate response was received from Amul, either. On March 15, a group of seven passengers on the Vande Bharat train found live worms and insects in one of the Amul packaged curd containers served with their dinner. The passenger, Ritesh Singh, immediately flagged the issue on his X handle, tagging the IRCTC, the railway minister and others. Responding to the passenger, Amul, from its official customer care account on X wrote, “We’re concerned to know about your experience. Please DM us your contact number, residential address, and the batch number so we can investigate this further.” After probing the matter, the IRCTC imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the vendor, Krishna Enterprises, for negligence in food handling. It also instructed the firm to maintain a proper cold chain, be more vigilant and adhere to food safety protocols. Dissatisfied with the IRCTC’s action, the railway ministry on March 25, 2026, directed it to terminate the contract of Krishna Enterprises and enhance the fine from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50 lakh. The ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC. “Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services to prevent any such incident in future,” the ministry said in its order. “All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns,” it added. Railway ministry officials noted that the IRCTC had acted leniently in a very sensitive situation, prompting their intervention. PTI JP JP MPL MPL
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