👑King Bole To Mumbai Rajdhani Express - Abdul Rehman

A Bong connection could help breathe new life into the Wheeler bookstalls at railway stations across the country.Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, who is from Bengal, today said his ministry would take steps to make the Wheeler stalls more attractive. The chain suffered in Lalu Prasad’s tenure because it was seen as a foreign business outlet.Trivedi said: “The railways will take all steps to restore the past glory of Wheeler. It is synonymous with Indian Railways.”If the supposed foreign link — one of Wheeler’s first owners was a French author, Emile Moreau — prompted Lalu Prasad to cancel the company’s licence, it could be the Bengali bond that drove Trivedi to act.The reason: AH Wheeler & Co was founded jointly by Moreau and T.K. Banerjee, a Bengali businessman from Allahabad. Its first stall opened in Allahabad station in 1877. Since 1950, the Banerjees have owned Wheeler, its present chairperson and MD being...
more...

Amit Banerjee, the founder’s grandson.
Lalu Prasad had declared fresh bids would be invited for the stalls. AH Wheeler went to court challenging the move. Sources said the owners met Trivedi and seem to have convinced the railway minister about its Bengali bond.