DIMAPUR — The Railway Contractors’ Union
Nagaland (RCUN) has appealed to the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) and the
Dimapur district administration to collectively work out an elaborate plan of
action to immediately evict illegal encroachers from railway land.
The union issued a press release on Wednesday stating that
the proposed eviction, however, must be carried out only after due compensation
is given to the “genuinely affected” patta holders.
“In this regard, the authorities, including the Nagaland
state government and the Indian Railways, should be aware that the encroachment
of railway property is mainly carried out under a meticulous plan of some land
mafias and grabbers who have made Dimapur a safe haven for generations and have
been illegally usurping government land plots by conniving with some corrupted
individuals in the land revenue department and the district administration.
“This must be immediately checked, and the circle of
corruption and illegal land grabbing should be broken; otherwise, many such
people-centric programmes like the redevelopment of the Dimapur Railway
Station, will always be hampered and will never be realised thereby giving rise
to dissatisfaction from all corners. We also demand the immediate arrest and
fair trial of those government officials who have been directly or indirectly
involved in the issue of illegal land encroachment and the issue of
unscrupulous land pattas to the land mafias and encroachers,” it stated.
According to the union, Dimapur Railway Station is currently
the highest per-capita revenue-earning railway station under NFR in the entire
Northeast region. “Due to the initiatives taken by the central government, the
Dimapur Railway Station has been earmarked as a world-class railway station,”
it stated.
However, the union warned that this vision of development
has been placed in jeopardy by rampant and illegal encroachments and
constructions done on railway land. It stated that this was due to the
inability of the railways as well as the district authorities of Dimapur to
evict the illegal encroachers despite clear directives and notice from the
Lumding Divisional Headquarters.
“Consequently, the fate of the Dimapur Railway Station as a
world-class railway station hangs in thin balance. If proper corrective
measures are not put into action immediately, we may permanently lose this
golden opportunity of putting Dimapur on the map of development,” it stated.
Also, the union pointed out that the Nagaland Express, which
was introduced to originate from Dimapur, has been shifted to Assam “as there
is no adequate space in Dimapur Railway Station for parking and originating.”
“We also request the NFR to increase the ticket quotas for
passengers boarding at Dimapur so that the people of the state can get maximum
benefit out of the redevelopment process. Moreover, all kinds of manipulations
done by ticketing agencies and IRCTC need to be checked and stopped by the
concerned department.
“Here, we would also like to highlight the stark apathy of
the VVIPs towards the issue of redevelopment of Dimapur Railway Station. Is
this because they are so habituated to travelling by air that they have lost
the common touch? We must not forget that the railway is the cheapest and the
safest mode of travel for most of the common people belonging to the middle and
lower classes, especially for families, students, traders, commuters, etc.,” it
added.
Further, the union requested the members of the public to
respect and take care of public property and not resort to “such unmindful and
shameful acts of illegal encroachments and constructions.”
“We also make a general appeal to concerned civic bodies,
village/colony councils, GBs, and public leaders to ensure that such illegal
practices are checked for the greater benefit of the public because if the
railways develop, the entire state and nation will develop, as the railway is
the backbone of our economy,” it stated.
