Patna: Passengers at Patna Junction will no longer find bananas on sale, after the railway administration banned the fruit in a move to curb litter and maintain cleanliness at one of Bihar’s busiest stations.
Railway officials said the decision was taken because discarded banana peels and other waste frequently created hygiene problems on platforms, causing inconvenience to passengers. “Bananas are the most widely sold fruit here, but peels can easily spread, making platforms dirty and unsafe,” a senior official said.
Every day, around 285 trains pass through Patna Junction, with over 125,000 passengers using the station. Officials estimate that more than 200 dozen bananas were being sold daily by the 20 licensed vendors operating on the premises. Under the new rules, vendors face strict action if found violating the ban.
A revised list of 12 fruits that can still be sold on platforms has been issued. The permitted fruits include apples, oranges, guavas, mangoes, pomegranates, pineapples, dates, papayas, grapes and cucumbers. Vendors have also been instructed to sell peeled fruit only, in order to minimise waste.
The railway administration clarified that the restriction applies only to sales and not to consumption. Passengers carrying bananas with them are still allowed to eat them inside the station.
Officials said the initiative is part of a wider cleanliness drive aimed at improving passenger experience across Bihar’s major stations, including Danapur, where bananas were also among the most popular items sold.
Although the decision may disappoint many regular travellers, railway authorities maintain that the step was necessary to ensure cleaner and safer platforms.
