Author: Amarnath Tewary/ Patna
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 10, 2004
The Indian Railways seems to have
become the Rashtriya Janata Dal's private property ever since Laloo Prasad
Yadav took charge of the Railway Ministry, believe many. Not just the sattu-driven-down-your-throat
change in on-board cuisine, even reservation lists are being altered at
will by Laloo's men, much to the chagrin of the Railway staff.
At least that's the scene is in
Bihar. Sources in the East Central Railway said everyday scores of RJD
leaders and workers force them for one thing or the other, boasting their
"close proximity" to the new Railway Minister. Three days ago, some RJD
workers reportedly visited the DRM office in Danapur and forced the officials
to change the reservation chart in favour of their own list. "While forcing
us to cancel the reservations of genuine travelers, the RJD workers provided
their own list of passengers and kept bragging how close they are with
the new Railway Minister," said an ECR official on the condition of anonymity
because obviously, he was not willing to be "shot at dawn" without trial.
Just a day before this incident,
two persons had reportedly asked an official at the ticket counter at Patna
Junction for reservation in the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express. They
asked the reservation official whether he had received a call from the
Chief Minister's house regarding this. When they were told no such call
had been received, the two said: "It might be coming soon" and asked for
tickets. "Later, even though we agreed to do their work, they refused to
pay for their tickets threatened to inform their boss Laloo Prasad in New
Delhi", said the official.
Not just this, some Railway officials
also said that suddenly they have begun receiving many requests for ticket
reservations in the much-abused 'emergency' quota on the official RJD letter-pad.
"What to do, there is no option since we do not know who is close to the
Railway Minister and who is not," they said. The self- proclaimed RJD leaders
flaunting their close contacts with Laloo Prasad Yadav and 1, Anne Marg,
have begun giving nightmares to many, claimed ECR officials.
"Most of them behave like he himself
is the Minister for Railways. The situation was quite different in the
regime of the previous Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, who never ever had
allowed partymen or workers to interfere with our work," said another official
adding: "We do not know whom to give preference and who should we neglect."
Such is the situation, reliable
sources said, that many Railway officials in this ECR division is trying
hard to get themselves transferred out of Bihar.
Only recently, Ram Kripal Yadav,
a Patna MP and a close aide of Laloo Prasad Yadav had called a high-level
meeting with the ECR officials at the Patna Junction to prepare for the
arrival of the new Railway Minister. But, before they could get into action,
RJD supporters had thronged the Patna Jn to monitor the arrangements there.
A host of party workers, led by RJD leader Nemtullah, were seen supervising
the cleaning-up operation at Patna Jn. "We were flummoxed. Under whose
direction and order they were doing all this ... but the question is who'll
bell the cat," said a desperate Railway official posted in the Danapur
division.
