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INDORE: No, you won’t get a ‘champi’ on any train from Indore . Western Railway on Saturday scrapped the decision to introduce head and foot massages on trains after it was bombarded with objections and criticism.

“The proposal to introduce head and/or foot massage services on trains originating from Indore station was initiated by Ratlam Division. As soon as the proposal came to the notice of higher authorities of Western Railways, it was withdrawn,” said a press release, issued by Western Railway CPRO Ravinder Bhakar.

Western Railway appreciates the “positive suggestions” from public representatives, railway consumers and public, it added.

On June 8, DRM R N Sunkar tweeted that Ratlam Division was going to start massage service on 39 trains to “add to passenger comfort”. It went viral, and made for eye-popping headlines but triggered outrage in certain sections.

On Friday, outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan wrote to railway minister Piyush Goyal , seeking 'clarity' on the plan. She pointed out that it would make women passengers uncomfortable. “It may throw up some questions regarding the safety of passengers, especially women,” she wrote and wanted to know if permission had been sought from the railway ministry.

Earlier, newly-crowned Indore MP Shankar Lalwani had objected to it and written to Goyal on June 13, saying that it’s “against Indian culture to offer such services in presence of women”. “In my opinion, providing passengers medical aid and doctors is important and not these ‘standard-less’ services,” Lalwani wrote.

“Based on feedback from public, and considering social and economic conditions and improvement of passenger services, the proposed (massage) facility has been put up for review. Along with the proposed head and foot massage facility on running trains, tender for the same facility at Indore railway station has also been cancelled,” senior PRO of Ratlam Division Jitendra Kumar Jayant told TOI.

The Railways hoped to generate around Rs 1.1 crore every year from the facility — Rs 20 lakh for allotment of tender and Rs 90 lakh through the sale of mandatory sleeper-class tickets to masseurs. The rate list had been finalized at Rs 100 for ‘Gold’, Rs 200 for ‘Diamond’ and Rs 300 for ‘Platinum’ massage of 15-20 minutes each, between 6 am and 10 pm. The service was supposed to start in a fortnight.

Sunkar is abroad and couldn’t be contacted for comment.

