Porter availability

In a parliamentary query, Congress Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor wanted to know if Indian Railways had banned licensed porters from handling parcels at railway stations and if so, whether there was a plan to withdraw the circular concerning it, as this, he said, was hampering the livelihood of those porters. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha replied that there was indeed such a circular, and that since the two tasks were different it was not possible for a porter to perform both of them at the same time. He added that there was no plan to withdraw it. So, the next time you get off a train, it might not be that difficult to find a porter.