RAILWAY SAMACHAR

BABA black Sheep in trains -Must go

Mumbai : Malad bizman wants Railways to act against 'fraudulent' cure-all babas who put up posters in compartments.

It's the ubiquitous writing on the wall of local trains.

>>Is poor sex causing marital problems for you? Contact Baba...

>>Is success eluding you? Get in touch with...

Divine intervention? The babas' posters adorn a local train compartment.

Such posters jostling for space and vying for commuters' attention could possibly be a thing of the past.

At least, Malad resident, Bhavesh Dharod (40), who commutes regularly by the city's lifeline, hopes so.

"I have written to the Railway Minister and top Western Railway officials about the advertisements," Dharod told MiD DAY. "These self-professed godmen swindle people. Equally guilty are those who put up the posters in trains."

Months after sending the letter, Dharod got a response, saying his suggestion was forwarded to higher officials.

Vasai resident Alok Mittal (57) said he had recently met a fashion designing student who was conned of a hefty amount by one such baba, whose contact he had got from one such poster in the train.

"The youngster had contacted one Bangali baba who said he would get a job with a top fashion designer in a week's time. The baba turned out to be a fraud."

"Of late, the number of such posters is rising, even overshadowing railway guidelines emblazoned on compartment walls," said Jogesh Pawar, another commuter.

'Will go to court'

Children from slums are paid to put up the posters. "We do get paid, as do railway staff who clean the trains," a boy from Kurla, who puts up such posters, said.

Meanwhile, Dharod is waiting for the railways to initiate action. "If no action is taken, I will have to file a PIL," he said.

The Other Side

"Our team is quite active with such matters. We often send our officers with RPF teams on a drive to crack down on such posters," Central Railway Public Relations Officer A K Singh said. "During the last few months, we have even called up numbers mentioned on the posters and have got people arrested."