Title - Call to set up rail division at Badarpur

BADARPUR  – The Badarpur Railway Division Implementation Demand Committee, along with All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association (ACKHSA), Youth Front, have urged the NF Railway authorities to make necessary arrangements to set up a full-fledged rail division at Badarpur immediately.The Badarpur Rail Division Implementation Demand Committee and ACKHSA, Youth Front have also demanded upgrade of the Badarpur Rail Division here from subdivision to division without delay. They demanded this by submitting a memorandum to the General Manager, NF Railway, Maligaon, Guwahati, through the Area Manager, NF Railway, Badarpur, on Saturday.The Badarpur Railway Division Implementation Demand Committee and ACKHSA also demanded immediate and speedy completion of the BG track conversion work between Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section to Silchar within a time-bound schedule. In the memorandum, mentioning the BG conversion between Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section to Silchar, they alleged that the Railway Minister has failed to give any importance to the gauge conversion works, disappointing the 35 lakh people of Barak Valley, and showed no urgency to complete the work though 17 years have passed since the project was first undertaken.

These two organisations also alleged that in the current Railway Budget, the Railway Minister did not mention a single word regarding the Badarpur Rail Division and speedy completion of the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section gauge conversion works.

The ACKHSA, Youth Front and Badarpur Rail Division Implementation Demand Committee also put forward some other points for immediate attention. The points include extension of the Hill Queen Express up to Silchar, and new appointments of local candidates from the Barak Valley in Badarpur Railway Subdivision. The memorandum warned the General Manager that if these matters fail to attract the attention of the authorities concerned, the people of Barak Valley would be forced to resort to a ‘Rail Roko’ agitation on March 19.In support of these demands, the leaders the two bodies also staged a dharna and shouted slogans in front of the Badarpur NF Railway Area Manager’s Office.The memorandum was signed by Promod Srivastava, president of the central committee, ACKHSA Youth Front, and Sukumar Ghosh, president, Badarpur Railway Division Implemmentation Demand Committee. Copies of the memorandum were also sent to the DRM, NF Railway, Lumding, and General Manager (Construction), Maligaon.