In a recent incident, a woman, Ruchi Kokcha, took to social media platform X to share her disconcerting experience of being allegedly overcharged for a veg thali while traveling on a Delhi-bound train. In her detailed post, she recounted how the train staff charged more than the communicated price and engaged in an argument when confronted.
The incident occurred during her journey from Patna to Delhi on the Brahmaputra Express (Train No. 15658, Coach M2) on December 8th. According to Kokcha, the IRCTC dinner person initially quoted the price of the veg thali as ₹150. However, when the bill arrived, it showed a breakdown of ₹80 for the veg thali and ₹70 for paneer sabji, totaling ₹150.
Despite her insistence on a bill solely for the veg thali, an hour-long argument ensued, culminating in the staff providing a bill for ₹80 and stating, “aap itna hi pay kar do” (you just pay this). Kokcha, in her tweet, tagged IRCTC and expressed concern over such practices tarnishing the image of Indian Railways.
IRCTC responded promptly, acknowledging the matter seriously. They announced a hefty penalty on the service provider and confirmed the deboarding of the concerned licensee staff involved in the alleged overcharging. Kokcha appreciated IRCTC for their swift action.
This incident sparked discussions on social media, with users praising Kokcha for bringing attention to the issue and commending IRCTC for its prompt response. Concerns were raised about the transparency of billing practices in train services.
