Rs 1 lakh fine on contractor for storing water bottles in rly toilet

The Railways on Tuesday slapped a Rs 1 lakh fine on a contractor after a video surfaced showing the catering staff using the toilet of a coach of the Nizamuddin-bound Garib Rath express for storing water bottles.

This comes days after another contractor was slapped with a fine of Rs 1 lakh by the Railways after a video surfaced suggesting that water from a train toilet was being used to prepare tea and coffee.

The fine imposed on Tuesday was over a video dated April 26 which showed that the toilet for the disabled was being used to store water bottles and cold drinks on the Garib Rath express.

"The matter was viewed very seriously and a fine of Rs 1,00,000 has been imposed on the contractor of Bandra Terminus-Nizamuddin Garib Rath after the western railway immediately took up the issue with IRCTC, besides taking other remedial actions," a statement from the railways said.

Besides levying the heavy fine, a show-cause notice has also been served on the contractor of the train for the termination of the contract by the IRCTC , it said.

A team has also been deputed to check and verify the activities and operations of the catering service in Bandra Terminus-Nizamuddin Garib Rath Express as a follow up action.

A five-day drive has been launched in western railways to check pantry or mini pantry in all trains to review, report and rectify the deficiencies in catering services.

In the earlier incident, a video in circulation on social media had showed a vendor coming out of a train toilet with tea and coffee cans, conveying that water was mixed in the cans inside the toilet.

That incident had occurred in December last year on board Chennai Central-Hyderabad Charminar Express at Secunderabad railway station.