A fter the series of reports highlighted by Nagaland Post on the stalemate with regard to improvement and development of passenger amenities and connectivity at Dimapur railway station, the other side of the story for the neglect has laid bare the most adverse factor which is land encroachment.
NFR sources told Nagaland Post that the much needed expansion for improving Dimapur railway station has been dealt the biggest blow by encroachers.
The railway authorities have alleged that a long drawn court battle pertaining to land encroachment has turned out to be a major bottleneck and halted railway authorities from widening platform number 2 at Dimapur Railway station and building a roof over it.
As per Divisional Railway Manger based in Lumding, Ashish Sharma, a stretch of land in railway bazaar and a portion of an RCC building which falls under the “Certified Land Plan” of the Indian Railways since the early 1960s after Nagaland attained statehood, has been encroached upon, thereby causing a bottleneck and halt in expansion works. The case is currently being fought in the sub-divisional magistrate court.
Another railway official alleged that pattas were issued by the state authorities despite the land being part of “Certified Land Plan” since the 1960s. It is also worth mentioning here that an eviction drive was conducted at Railway Bazaar in June 2014 under the Public Premises Eviction Act of 1971 in the presence of a judicial magistrate.
The railway authorities have also alleged that then Divisional Railway Manger in the early 1960s had also written a letter to the then principal secretary of Nagaland who had directed the district authorities (Deputy Commissioner) to look into the matter. Despite all this, pattas were issued, the railways alleged.
On the issue of roof over platform number 2, a railway official informed Nagaland Post that the original plan was for track number 3 (where goods trains are generally stationed) to be dispensed with so that platform number 2 could be widened to meet the requirement of having a roof built over the entire stretch of platform number 2.
The current width of the platform number 2 is 4.6 meters. A minimum of 6 meters width is required for a roof to be built over it and the railway authorities have planned to extend it to 9.2 meters.
In congruence with the plan of widening platform number 2, a new track number 6 has also been laid exclusively for goods trains. The disputed railway bazaar land and building however falls on the path of line/track number 6 leading towards Diphu (Lower Assam), thereby, causing a halt in expansion of platform number 2 so that track number 3 can still accommodate good trains.