Six passengers fell ill from food poisoning on Sealdah bound Rajdhani Express on Tuesday.
Highlights
- Protests at 2 stations in Bengal over Rajdhani meals
- Passengers say 6 people fell sick, railway officials say they're checking
- I agree, this will help prove my case, says minister Babul Supriyo
Passengers held protests at two train stations in West Bengal after six commuters fell sick after eating the food served on the Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express.
The train was headed to Sealdah in Kolkata and had stopped at Asansol station, 213 km from the capital, when passengers protested. The passengers also protested at the Sealdah station.
Union Minister Babul Supriyo, who is from the BJP and represents Asanol, promised to raise the issue at a meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's house this evening.
"Today (Tuesday), I would attend a council of ministers' meeting at the Prime Minister's house where I would discuss the matter with Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu...it's true that the quality of the food in Rajdhani is very bad sometimes. I thank the passengers for their protest. Their agitation has made my case stronger," he said to news agency IANS.
"The food quality in the train is poor and the timing of serving the food is equally bad. When the passengers spend such a substantial amount for travelling in a train, they expect better quality and service but that is often not available here. At least six passengers from our train fell ill yesterday (Monday) after eating dinner," complained a female passenger.
Eastern Railway officials admitted they had received the complaint and said appropriate action would be taken after a probe. But they called it an "isolated" incident.
"This is a one-off incident. The train was carrying around 1,200 passengers. Of them 5-6 passengers from a specific coach have complained about the food quality. We are investigating the matter. Appropriate action would be taken," an Eastern Railway spokesman said.
(With inputs from IANS)