If you are a regular traveller between New Delhi and Howrah or New Delhi and Sealdah by the Rajdhani Express, then be prepared for a surprise.

Fish and rice, the quintessential Bengali dishes, have been introduced in the prestigious train of the Indian Railways. This was one of the first decisions taken by the Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee after she assumed office.

Elated Bengali passengers are lapping it up.

“It’s an excellent menu. Till last month the food was ordinary. Now we get our favourite dish — maacher jhol aar bhaat,” said Dr S Malik, a regular passenger on the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

One of Mamata’s priorities is to revamp the railway catering system and improve the food quality.

Following her directives, IRCTC has also reintroduced a few items that were taken off the menu during the tenure of Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The new menu includes cheese sandwich, samosa/kachori and sandesh or kaju barfi for sweets. The passengers are served with varieties of Knorr soups also.

“The introduction of fish and rice is a good step as Bengali passengers, given a choice between chicken and fish, opt for the latter,” said Sunil Talreja, Deputy General Manager of IRCTC.

Subrata Chakravarty of the Indian Air Force said: “Earlier the quality of food provided was good but after Lalu Prasad took over it deteriorated. Now, Mamata Banerjee has taken an excellent initiative.”

For dinner passengers get a wide variety to choose from veg pulao, peas pulao and jeera rice, rumali roti, parathas, peas paneer, shahi paneer and veg kofta. Non-vegetarians can choose from chicken and fish, a rohu fish or bombay bhetki as fish fry.

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