Tinsukia Railway Division grapples with problems, authorities remain ‘indifferent’

Our Correspondent

TINSUKIA: Though some railway stations under Tinsukia Railway Division of NFR are being renovated, including New Tinsukia, at the cost of Rs 10 crore, these facelifts are far from the passengers’ grievances which the NFR authorities have perennially ignored despite public representations time and again.

The annual GM’s visit to the Division always turned out to be a ritualistic affair. During the past several years, none of the GMs has fulfilled any commitment put forward through public memoranda or assured before media persons.

The historical Makum-Dangori section is totally abandoned now. Though the Division introduced DEMU service replacing general train, it was annihilated phase wise leaving a vast number of passengers aggrieved. After the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Setu (Dholla-Sadiya Bridge) was opened to public, it was expected that the line would be extended to Dholla so that passengers from Sadiya, Roing and other distant places like Anini of Arunachal Pradesh would avail railway services. Innumerable public memoranda were placed before the authorities, including Union Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain, but all fell on deaf ears.

The Tinsukia-Naharlagun Intercity Express 15907/15908 which was introduced by the Division on December 25, 2018 to benefit passengers of the north bank of Brahmaputra, not only created problems on timing but also on reservation status of the train. The train, having all reserved coaches at par with Shatabdi Express, the unreserved passengers travelling on emergency had to cough up exorbitant fines. The aggrieved passengers opined that such a luxury train was not necessary in interior places where a single train was being run. A senior railway official on the condition of anonymity said it was impractical to operate such type of train. Instead, he suggested that there should be two unreserved coaches and there must be a pair of trains originating both at Tinsukia and Naharlagun during morning hours.

It is alleged that the Tinsukia DRM office, in connivance with car parking lessee, had been illegally collecting car parking fees from private owners. Though the matter was raised with successive DRMs, but it had no effect. In absence of any display board on parking tariff in the parking lot both at New Tinsukia and Tinsukia junctions, the lessee allegedly charging Rs 20 instead of Rs 10 from each public vehicle.

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