AFTER UNDERTAKING a nightmarish journey in the AC coach of the Capital Express in Bihar last September, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav had a bumpy ride, this time, in Uttar Pradesh on February 13.
The minister was traveling on his saloon from Siwan to New Delhi on that day.
As the train passed Gorakhpur in the late hours of the evening, Yadav felt severe jerks on a stretch of 120 km between Gorakhpur and Gonda.
So uncomfortable was the journey that the minister felt the discomfiture from the jerks even after reaching New Delhi. The journey prompted him to make serious remarks against the condition of tracks, which falls under the North Eastern Railway. Railway officers are tight-lipped for obvious reasons.
Sources said the minister had ordered NER officials to improve the condition of the tracks, which he would inspect soon. Soon after receiving the orders, the entire Lucknow division of the North Eastern Railway worked overnight and got the tracks repaired. The Railway Board was immediately informed about the corrective steps initiated taken.
Now, the NER general manager will inspect the track in a day or two to ensure that the minister has a smooth ride next time. After Yadav’s September experience he had got all the zonal railways to ensure that Air Conditioned coaches were free from cockroaches and had improved passenger amenities.
{{/usCountry}}Now, the NER general manager will inspect the track in a day or two to ensure that the minister has a smooth ride next time. After Yadav’s September experience he had got all the zonal railways to ensure that Air Conditioned coaches were free from cockroaches and had improved passenger amenities.
{{/usCountry}}One wonders, whether it would require the Railway Minister to undertake a journey to ensure each and every facelift of the Railways.