A letter by 11-year-old Nayan Sinha from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district to the Prime Minister has put Railway officials in quite a fix, after PM Modi stepped in to address the issues raised by the school boy.

Nayan Sinha, a class VII student of Chandrashekhar Azad Intermediate College in Unnao, wrote to PM Modi last September complaining of the absence of a crossing at the railway tracks between his locality and the school had forced him and other 200 students to take a longer route every morning. This, Nayan told the PM, was resulting in him being punished regularly by the school for reaching late.

Talking to Indian Express, Nayan said, “I never cross the railway tracks as my parents have asked me not to. But the alternate route is much longer, so I reach school late and get punished on most days. In September last year, without informing anyone, I posted the letter to the Prime Minister. I wrote about how I have to walk extra to reach school.”

The letter by the young student sure prompted the PMO to take up the issue with the Railway Ministry.

Despite the PM’s intervention, Railway officials have cited a procedural impediment that could stall the process. According to regional Railway officials, a new railway policy stipulates that a railway crossing or an over bridge cannot be constructed till the state government specifically puts in a request with the Railway Ministry. It is only upon the receipt of such a request that the Railways send a team to assess the site and approve the demand.

A senior Railway official said that the matter had been communicated to Nayan, and would soon write a reply to the Railways head office in Delhi, which would be forwarded to the Prime Minister.

“I had forgotten about the letter. Then, two days ago, my family received a letter from the divisional engineer, Northern Railways, mentioning my application sent to the Prime Minister. But no Railway official has visited us or sent any clear response to my request so far,” says Nayan.

“The railway track is about 100 meters from our house. Ever since the track came up, Nayan has to walk over two kilometers to reach the manned railway crossing at Rajepur, and then to school. Around 200 children from our colony take the same route. My son sent a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to make arrangements for a railway crossing or over bridge on the railway track, which would reduce the distance between the colony and the school. It will not just help schoolchildren, but also the sick and elderly,” said Nayan’s father Ashutosh.