Rat eating puff at Surat railway station food stall goes viral, outlet sealed

Surat: Amid growing concerns over food hygiene, a video showing a rat eating a puff at a food stall inside Surat railway station has gone viral on social media.

The video sparked outrage among passengers, prompting railway authorities to seal the outlet. Western Railway has also initiated proceedings for further action, including possible cancellation of the contractor’s licence.

The around 30-second video is believed to have been recorded by a passenger at around 3.30am on Saturday or Sunday, when the Kolhapur-Ahmedabad Express and Dadar-Ektanagar Express arrive at Surat station.

The video shows the ‘Dinesh Associates Tea Stall’ on Platform 1, with a rat seen eating a puff at the outlet as the passenger records the scene.

Western Railway public relations officer Anubhav Saxena said the outlet was sealed immediately after officials became aware of the video.

“We sealed the food outlet as soon as we came to know about the video. We have also started proceedings to cancel the licence of the contractor. We launched an inquiry into the incident and will ensure that all necessary steps are taken to prevent such incidents in the future. We will also decide on the fine to be imposed on the contractor soon,” Saxena said.

The incident comes as Western Railway has been highlighting measures to improve food safety and drinking water quality at its stations. According to the railway, 1,000 food samples were tested between April and August 19, with an overall fitness rate of 98%. DeshGujarat