Babu makes train take unscheduled 8-minute tea break

BAREILLY: BAREILLY: A long-distance express train without a scheduled stop at Bareilly was forced to take an eight-minute break, just so the intense craving that a senior railways official had for tea could be satisfied.

The officer, reportedly attached to the Moradabad administration of the railways, was traveling by the non-stop Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Begumpura Express when he felt a craving for tea on Saturday. The train was stopped at Bareilly railway station. The officer and 30 others then enjoyed their tea break. An inquiry has been ordered, as senior railway officials were informed of the matter.

The train, which starts from Varanasi at 12.50 noon reaches Lucknow junction around 6.05pm, and proceeds onwards to Jammu Tawi. Its scheduled stop in between is at Moradabad, where it reaches around 11.05 pm. There are no other stops in between.

The senior official who could not resist his tea craving allegedly works with the commercial department of railways at Moradabad division and boarded the train at Lucknow with some staff members. As the train stopped at Bareilly railway station, tea was hurriedly arranged from the railway canteen. Sources said, that the senior officer and his entourage enjoyed their cuppa and then the train chugged off. The unscheduled eight-minute stoppage is mentioned in the train register of Bareilly railway station.

Divisional railway manager Moradabad division, Pramod Kumar said he was not aware of the incident: "Any unscheduled stoppage is a serious matter that will be inquired into. However, I am not aware if any senior officer from the division was travelling by that train."