'Roti like papad...': AAP Leader's wife slams Tejas Express food, IRCTC responds with ‘no one else complained'

Mint

a day ago

Anita Singh, wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, has raised concerns about the quality of food served onboard the Tejas Express, a premium train operated by Indian Railways. Taking to the social media platform X, she criticised the meal served to her during a recent journey from New Delhi to Lucknow, calling it 'deplorable'.
In her post, Anita Singh shared a photo of the food and wrote, 'The roti was as hard as papad, the paneer was stale, and instead of dal, only water was served. Is this the Railways' 'world-class' service? Stop playing with passengers' health!'
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) responded promptly to the post, stating, 'We wish to inform you that the quality of the food is checked before serving, and no complaints in this regard have been received from other passengers in the said coach; rather, the catering has generally been appreciated.'
'The catering team attended to you and offered a replacement meal. Nevertheless, we have taken your feedback seriously,' IRCTC said in its official response, adding that a senior official has now been appointed to ensure quality compliance and further improve standards.
The incident sparked mixed reactions online. While some users shared similar grievances about food quality on premium trains, others defended IRCTC and praised their overall service on the Tejas Express.
However, many users were unimpressed with the official response and questioned the lack of consistent quality across coaches and journeys.
A user wrote, 'Such a ridiculous answer shows how diligent you are with your service. It's high time you improve your service and take customer complaints seriously, rather than defending yourself. Everyone is aware of corrupt practices being done by catering staff in trains.'
Another user commented, 'Quality inspection conducted despite which you serve a meal like that - your quality control is broken. 'No one else complained'? That's so pathetic! If everyone complains, you will lose your job, and Railways will cease to exist.'
'This reply shows the arrogance, offering food which is not up to mark and not good means your team need to check the same than giving a reply that nobody complains, who will do so as of now the vendors started fighting in too in many cases,' the third user wrote.
|The Tejas Express is marketed as a high-end, semi-high-speed train offering modern amenities and upgraded services, including onboard meals, to enhance the passenger experience.