Mid-day

Mumbai, Jun 19: The launch of a passenger reservation system at Dadar railway station has been delayed, as Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad can’t find the time to inaugurate it.

But even as sources put the blame on Lalu, railway authorities cite technical reasons for the delay.

The building for the reservation centre was ready one-and-a-half months ago.

The hi-tech centre is supposed to cater to western line commuters, who are often forced to go to Mumbai Central, Churchgate, Bandra, Terminus or Andheri for reservation.

“A reservation system already exists in Dadar’s central station. But such a system for the western line is also needed,” said a railway official at Dadar.

Western Railway Divisional Manager Arunendra Kumar said, “We are not waiting for the minister. The delay happened because we opted for better technology. Once the system is ready, anybody, including the local MP, can inaugurate it.”

However, sources said the inauguration would be delayed by at least 10 to 12 days as certain links have not been put in place and Lalu’s permission is yet to be obtained for the launch. Western Railway chief PRO Pranai Prabhakar said, “Internal links are not in place. This is the only reason for the delay.”