Congress MP conducts surprise check at Shatabdi caterer's kitchen; says 'cleanliness not found at par'

Congress MP from Amritsar G S Aujla on Sunday conducted a surprise inspection at the kitchen of a private caterer at Rani Ka Bagh locality here today where the food for the Amritsar Shatabdi trains is prepared and packed.

The inspection was carried out in the wake of multiple complaints received from passengers, Aujla said.

"Cleanliness was not found at par with the standards required for servicing the passengers travelling on Shatabdi trains. The preparation area, washing sinks, stoves, utensils etc were not up to the mark," he said after carrying out the inspection.

The quality of rice was not premium basmati as was claimed by the manager of the kitchen, Aujla said adding that the quality of raw materials was a real concern.

He said that the food packed for the evening Shatabdi to Delhi was checked along with the raw materials used for the preparations.

The inspection team was also not able to spot RO water filtration system at the premises which suggests that normal tap water was used for preparation of food, he said. The spices, flour, rice, cooking oil etc were not found to be of good standard, the MP said.

Aujla said that samples of the food were collected and sent for testing to the competent authorities. A detailed report of this inspection will be sent to the concerned authorities along with the test reports and necessary action ensured, he said.