STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam Rail Passengers' Association (ARPA) has raised significant concerns regarding the ongoing track doubling work in the New Bongaigaon Junction-Rangiya Junction-Agthori Railway station and New Bongaigaon Junction-Goalpara Town Railway station-Kamakhya Railway station sections. ARPA communicated formally with Janak Kumar Garg, Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, today and highlighted a range of issues adversely affecting daily commuters and overall passenger safety.
The Assam Rail Passengers' Association, a longstanding advocate for improved rail services in Assam, expressed gratitude to the central government for sanctioning the additional railway lines but urged for urgent remedial measures to address critical shortcomings in the project execution. The association emphasized that frequent cancellations of local trains due to non-interlocking (NI) work have severely disrupted the daily lives of commuters. They proposed a shift from patch doubling to completing work on one side entirely to minimize commuter inconvenience.
Safety concerns were prominently noted, with the association pointing out that passengers at stations such as Goalpara, Boko, Bamunigaon, Mirza, Dudhnoi, and Rangjuli are compelled to alight on precarious stone-covered tracks. This situation, they argue, compromises the safety of passengers, including elderly individuals, children, and those with disabilities.
The newly opened Changsari station was criticized for its lack of basic amenities, such as drinking water facilities. ARPA also highlighted the inadequacy of foot overbridges (FoBs), which lack ramp facilities, thus creating hardships for senior citizens, women with children, and passengers carrying heavy luggage. Additionally, the absence of alternative power generation systems during power cuts forces passengers to rely on mobile torchlights, and the limited platform shelters fail to protect passengers from inclement weather.
Rangiya Junction, a crucial hub for northern Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, is reportedly facing a flawed construction plan. ARPA claims that the proposed two-phase approach to doubling work will necessitate two separate NI blocks, exacerbating disruptions for passengers. Despite suggestions for improvements from the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Rangiya and local MP Bhubaneswar Kalita, the construction division has allegedly remained inflexible.
Dipankar Sharma, General Secretary of ARPA, stressed the need for a revised and streamlined work plan. "The construction division's current approach is causing undue suffering due to frequent train cancellations and inadequate passenger amenities," Sharma remarked. He proposed a megablock strategy to cover more stations simultaneously, thus reducing the frequency of disruptions.
Dipankar Sharma added, "ARPA stressed speedy doubling work, avoiding patch doubling, for which local people are to suffer badly in view of the cancellation of trains." "Non-interlock exercise is a process after which trains are allowed to run. For this reason, automatic signals do not work, resulting in the in the slow movement of trains. To carry out out such work, they simply cancel unreserved local trains. So the locals are to suffer. Frequent such exercises have hit common people. Instead, they can take a megablock covering more stations, minimising the suffering. Moreover, the work is not as expected by the users. Passengers amenities are given less attention," he added.
Also Read: Assam: Cancellation, partial cancellation of trains under N. F. Railway (sentinelassam.com)
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