Railway officials upset over Lalu’s inability to fly to Kolkata for a day

RAILWAY minister Lalu Prasad’s inability to take a day out to fly to Kolkata amid the electoral battle has led to the uncertainty over holding of the Railway Week this year where railway employees including officials are awarded for their distinguished services. This has made many railway officers upset as Mr Prasad, who is termed as the railway turnaround man for realizing a profit of Rs 90,000 cr (about $18 billion) during the last five years, has ignored repeated requests of the organizers to take some time out for attending the big annual event. Though the annual function, which is always attended by the railway minister in addition to the chairman and members of the railway board, was originally scheduled to be held on the first week of April in Kolkata, the organizers are now convinced that only the next railway minister would preside over it. No wonder, speculations have begun in Rail Bhawan in Delhi on who could possibly be the next railway minister considering various post poll permutations and combinations of political parties.