 Early Times Report
Srinagar, Dec 11: As the Chief Minister flagged off childrens' special fortnightly train Sunday, the babus in the state dispensation acted as major spoilers of the entire event with rotten food items distributed to children who boarded the train amid much excitement.
The Chief Minister on Sunday flagged off the train at Qazigund and travelled with the children till Baramulla and finally disembarked at Srinagar. She interacted with the children and asked them to devote time to their studies and extracurricular activities in equal measure.
Meanwhile, as the lunch time arrived and little school going kids were waiting for the meals in the train, they found rotten bananas being distributed amongst them. "We didn't eat any of it. We had some chips packets in our sachets and we ate that only," said a student who was part of the journey.
Reports inform that amid the bone chilling cold, students no older than 10 years were asked to reach the station during the early morning hours. The security was such that the parents accompanying their kids had to move from one gate to the other to find their entry.
As the students boarded the train, they were offered tea in paper cups. After the train left the station and children visited various areas located between Qazigund and Baramulla, the lunch time arrived. At 1. P.M, food packets with name of Hospitality and Protocol Department written on them, were distributed amongst the students. As they opened them with much eagerness, many had their faces glum as they found rotten fruits in them. "The bananas are rotten and they really have a bad smell," one kid was heard telling his mate in the train.
The teachers, accompanying these little kids too were found speechless and they advised their students not to eat the fruit that according to them was not even worth to vomit.
Such a non- serious approach by a particular department at such an important event has once again revealed the fact that the babus in the state dispensation aren't serious in transforming government's dream of ensuring quality lives to the people of the state.
Interestingly, such a blunder by has been done in presence of the chief minister. Interestingly, Minister for R&B, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar, Ministers of State, Asiea Naqash, Mir Zahoor and Priya Sethi, MPs, legislators, senior officers of divisional administration, senior officers of Northern Railways and large number of people joined the train run at several stops.
The train that was flagged off today will on every alternate Sunday take off from Banihal at 8.15 am and reach Baramulla at 10.40 am from where it would return back at 10.50 am to reach Banihal back at 01.35 pm. The train would again move from Banihal at 02.10 pm and reach Baramulla at 05.05 pm to finally return back at 05.15 pm for the day.
The train would have stops at Qazigund, Anantnag, Awantipora, Srinagar, Budgam and Sopore before reaching Baramulla. In today's inaugural run, students from Government run schools were taken on the ride but subsequently the facility would be thrown open to children of private schools as well. |
