Protest over rail work delay in sonitpur district
Protestors stage a dharna at Rangapara station on Saturday.
Tezpur, Dec. 28: Hundreds of people, including those belonging to 39 organisations in Assam’s Sonitpur district, today staged a protest at Rangapara station for the inordinate delay in running of passenger trains between Rangia to Murkoksheleng via Rangapara and Tezpur.
The protesters, including around 2,000...
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belonging to different organisations, staged a three-hour dharna at the station.
They alleged that broad-gauge train services remained a non-starter because of the “careless attitude” of the central government and the railways.
“Construction of the lines is complete and almost everything is ready for running of trains, but it still remains a non-starter, putting a big question mark on why the department concerned is neglecting the big issue over the years,” one of the protesters said.
The secretary of Rangapara development circle, Swarna Kamal Bhattacharya, said passenger trains should be run immediately, giving top priority to people’s anguish and urged the government to take necessary steps for development of the Rangapara area. They threatened to intensify the protests if the railway authorities did not take necessary steps for immediate solution to the problem.
The metre-gauge lines from Rangia to Murkoksheleng via Rangapara and Rangia to Tezpur via Rangapara would be a convenient means of transportation for the people of north bank.
The president of the Sonitpur district unit of Absu, Tepuram Boro, has criticised the rail authorities for delay in running of trains.