Officials from the Nagaland State Transport department, Dimapur district administration and Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) on Monday held a coordination meeting to discuss plans for modernizing Dimapur Railway Station.
Speaking to Nagaland Post over the phone, the state transport secretary, Robert Longchari, said that the meeting was primarily focused on NFR’s action plans for development of Dimapur Railway Station into a world class railway station.
He said that one of the key topics discussed was the long-standing issue of land encroachment around the train station, adding that the decades-long problem was now being addressed by the state government.
Dimapur is among 508 stations selected for redevelopment, spanning across 27 states and union territories. The project, with an allotted budget of Rs. 283 crore, aims to revolutionize the passenger experience by offering modern amenities and well-designed traffic circulation. However, this vision could remain elusive if land is not made available for the redevelopment and expansion of railway passenger facilities.
The state transport secretary informed that NFR had been encouraged to start development works and assured full support from the state. Further, Longchari informed that the officials also visited Dimapur Airport and discussions were held with airport officials to assess ongoing and future projects.
Also, speaking to Nagaland Post, the deputy commissioner (DC), Dr. Tinojongshi Chang, who led the district administration, informed that spot verifications were conducted and a detailed joint survey of the encroached lands around the Dimapur railway station would be carried out soon.
Sources from the railways informed that the railway officials informed the state government team on the long-standing issue of land encroachment. It was learnt that there were currently 91 encroachers in the vicinity of Dimapur railway station necessitating a comprehensive survey to resolve the issue.
Sources said tendering process for transformation of Dimapur railways station into a world-class railway Station was in its final stages, adding that works were expected to commence by the end of October or early November.