Derek O'Brien gets a new role in Railways

Kolkata-based quiz master Derek O'Brien and leading artist Shuvaprasanna will head two separate committees set up by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to improve passengers' amenities and services in trains and stations.

Twelve of the 13 members of the two committees are from West Bengal. O'Brien will head the Passenger Services Committee while Shuvaprasanna, also from Kolkata, is Chairman of the Passenger Amenities Committee.

O'Brien was a former spokesman of Trinamool Congress and Shuvaprasanna had been in the forefront of protests by leading intellectuals against the state's Left Front government on Singur and Nandigram issues. O'Brien will be assisted by six members, all from West Bengal, in the Passenger Services Committee.

Shuvaprasanna will be the head of Amenities Committee all of whose members barring one are from Banerjee's home state. The Railways is flooded with complaints against catering services in trains and stations.

Besides catering, the services committee will review the size, design and location of vending stalls and all other book stalls, telephone booths at stations and recommend measures for standardization of design so that they match with aesthetics of the station.