Ahmedabad: After a passenger travelling onboard the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express allegedly found a fly in the veg biryani served to him, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) imposed a Rs 1 lakh fine on the catering contractor.

The passenger, Sumit Mehrotra, who was travelling on Train No. 82902, shared photographs of the contaminated meal on social media. In a sarcastic post, he thanked IRCTC for “serving quality food with fly and insects” and described the catering service as “Pathetic Service with Higher Cost.” He also tagged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

According to railway officials, the train captain and the onboard catering manager apologised to Mehrotra and offered him a replacement meal, which he declined.

Following an inquiry, IRCTC issued a show-cause notice to the caterer, asking why its vending licence should not be cancelled. The caterer has also been instructed to procure fresh raw materials and strengthen quality checks, including inspections of containers used to store rice, pulses, flour, and spices.