The Indian Railway asked asked an old sweeper and a gateman to inaugurate express trains at the Howrah station in the Eastern Division of Indian Railway. Bala Devi, a sweeper at the Santraganchi railway station, and Nimai Chandra Bera, a gateman at the Goraghanta station, inaugurated two weekly superfast express trains – Howrah to Prasanthi Nilayam and Howrah to Shirdi.
According to an official of Railway this was a small tribute to those ordinary workers who were to retire on 28th of February 2011.
CPRO Soumitro Majumdar said, “Though they are workers at the lower-level, yet they are very important to the organisation,”
Source: The Hindu, 19 February 2011
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