Taking serious cognisance of an incident of drinking water and beverages stored in the toilet of a train, the Western Railway (WR) on Tuesday slapped a hefty fine and initiated proceedings to sack the contractor, an official said.
Western Railway chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that the shocking incident came to light in the form of a video shot inside the coach for handicapped passengers on the Mumbai - Nizamuddin Garib Rath Express on April 26.
As the video went viral on social media showing the staffers of the catering contractor - identified as Krishna Enterprises, Bandra, Mumbai - storing tea, coffee, soft drinks and others in the train toilet before serving them to the passengers, an embarrassed WR launched an investigation.
Besides the penalty of Rs 100, 000 and a showcause notice, the WR has also moved the IRCTC to terminate the contract with the errant contractor.
Simultaneously, a WR team is checking all operations of the caterer on the above train to ensure compliance of various norms.
Additionally, a five - day drive is now underway on all WR long - distance trains to check the pantry services, review, report and rectify deficiencies in catering services and ensure such incidents don't recur, said Bhakar.