No signal as 'drunk' station master sleeps on duty

Railway officials were sent into a tizzy after their repeated failure to contact a station master in Moradabad division of the Northern Railway.

Several trains came to a halt at station after Deep Singh, the station master of Murshadpur railway station did not respond to frantic calls from senior officials on Friday night, according to the sources here.

Sources said that several long-distance trains had to stop for want of green signal at Murshadpur railway station. Murshadpur lies on the rail route to Jammu and Dehradun from Howrah. A large number of long-distance trains passes through the station daily.

Worried railway officials rushed RPF personnel and another station master to Murshadpur.

To their shock, they found Deep Singh dead drunk and sleeping inside his office. A few empty bottles of liquor were found under his cot, sources said.

Movement of trains began only after another station master took charge.

Singh was taken to a hospital for medical examination which showed a high level of alcohol in his blood, sources said. ''Singh was dead drunk and could barely walk,'' said a senior railway official in Moradabad.

Taking a serious view of the matter, the railway officials suspended Singh and ordered an investigation. ''It is a very serious matter...we will take stern action against the guilty station master,'' said the official on Sunday.