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.

Congress presents its rail wishlist to Mamata Banerjee
Senior Congress leader Manas Bhuniya has urged Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure better railway links in East and West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.

“I take the opportunity to draw your attention regarding some long-pending demands and railway projects of our state for your kind consideration and help. I also request you to kindly recall different projects announced and initiated by you during your tenure as Railway Minister for the state,” Bhuniya wrote in a letter to Banerjee. Among the many services that Bhuniya has asked for are train link between Jhargram and Purulia and booking centres at Panskura, Mecheda and Kolaghat stations for farmers in the area who send betel nut leaves, vegetables and flowers to far-off places.

Other suggestions by the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state Assembly are railway tracks from Panskura to Arambag via Ghatal, extension of the Digha-Tamluk railway line to Balasore via Chandeshwar to connect West Bengal and Orissa, a terminal at Balichak station, over bridge at Puri gate and modernisation of the railway hospital at Kharagpur.

Bhuniya said that he would meet Railway Minister and even Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to see the areas deprived of railway links get access to railway connectivity.