On a recent night, passengers on the Chitrakoot Express traveling from Lucknow to Jabalpur were terrified when a fire alarm in an AC coach went off. The train had to be stopped immediately as passengers scrambled out of the coach, fearing a fire. However, a thorough inspection revealed that no fire...
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had actually occurred. The alarm had been triggered by rats that had chewed through the alarm wires. This incident, which caused a delay of around 30 minutes, highlighted a serious issue of rodent infestation on Indian Railways. Despite regular claims of spending huge sums on pest control, the problem persists, with passengers suffering from the inconvenience and risks posed by these infestations.