Agencies Posted online: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 0839 hours IST Updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 0844 hours IST
Patna, June 20: Virtually playing a travelling ticket examiner, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad got evicted scores of men sitting in coaches reserved for women in a passenger train at Patna railway station.
"Don't you have any civic sense... you are sitting in bogies reserved for women. Can't you see a woman's figure painted at the entrance, where it is clearly stated that men are not allowed," he thundered at the passengers while giving a dressing-down to the TTE.
"I am going to order the suspension of the TTE," he told reporters.
Prasad, who made a surprise inspection of Patna and Gaya railway stations, was furious at the filth scattered on platforms and ordered the officials accompanying him to spruce up the place.
The Railways have recently decided to upgrade 21 stations across the country to world-class standards and Patna is one of them.
The Railway Minister also slammed the Bihar government, accusing it of failure to check recurrent train dacoities.
"That the Nitish Kumar government has been a failure on all fronts is known to everybody, but that his police force has also been rendered useless is coming to light now," he said.
He also vented his fury against the unhygienic conditions in Patna and Gaya railway stations but was caught on the wrong foot when he spat on the tracks.
He made a surprise inspection of the stations and hauled up the officials for the filth scattered around the platforms.
Then, he spat on the tracks and the irony of the situation was caught on various news channels.
