18 October,2023 03:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Screengrab of viral video/ Instagram
A passenger aboard a Mumbai-Goa Express (11099 LTT MAO Express) recently encountered a distressing situation with has raised concerns over passenger safety and hygiene standards of Indian Railways. The passenger spotted rats inside the train's pantry car. Mortified by the scene, the user shared a video of the incident he recorded. The incident, according to his social media post, happened on October 15.
According to his social media post, the passenger, who dubbed himself a rail enthusiast, wanted to record the engine coupling process as the train departed. To his astonishment, he found that the pantry car - which was located in the middle of the train, within Garib Rat liveried coach - was rodent infestation and spotted at least six to seven of these rodents scurrying about. The passenger managed to capture footage of four of these unsettling intruders.
"This is such a rude shock for me as a rail fan and as a train traveller. The scene unfolds as I was travelling with my family in 11099 LTT MAO express dated 15/10/2023 which was rescheduled from its original timings from 1:45 midnight to 3:30. Being a railfan I thought of recording the engine coupling to the train so I started walking towards the end. This is where the real shock began. The Pantry Car was almost at the middle of the train which was a Garib Rath liveried coach where I could see at least 6-7 rats of which I could film only 4," he wrote in his social media post which has gone viral after it was posted on Tuesday.
Further talking about the incident, he said that he attempted to report the issue to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) who gave a dismissive response. The officer allegedly callously remarked, "Look beneath the tracks, there are 500-600 rats there, and if 5-6 have entered, what's the problem?" This insensitive attitude left the passenger deeply unsettled.
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Determined to address the problem, the passenger diligently followed the established procedures and escalated the matter to the Assistant Station Master (Commercial), Meena who in turn called the pantry car manager. However, the passenger's jaw dropped after hearing him casually comment, "There are many rats in the pantry, what can we do now? Railways always send us a dilapidated carriage."
Following this, the passenger turned to the Rail Madad app and officially registered his complaint. An executive has assured the passenger that they will penalize the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for the situation.
"Finally, I was able to complain on the Rail Madad app and I hope the action is strictly taken. I was assured by one Rail Madad executive sir he will penalise IRCTC, but my main question is to IRCTC and Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw sir: Is this the training given to the RPF to talk bullshit with the passengers about their own safety. In between there was an employee in the ticket section who tried to delete the video instead of guiding me properly. Are we not entitled to have good and safe food during our journey," the user questioned.
According to a statement by an official from IRCTC, an inquiry has been launched into this incident.
