GUWAHATI — The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has issued legal notices to
20 leaders of Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA) for blocking
train services at Jorai Railway Station in West Bengal’s Alipurduar Division on
December 11 last year, officials said here on Saturday.
Demanding separate Greater Cooch Behar state, more than
5,000 agitators blockaded the railway lines at Jorai Railway Station in
Alipurduar Division on December 11 last year leading to the cutting off the
entire northeastern region from the rest of the country through the railway network.
The GCPA has been spearheading the agitation for the past many years.
NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore
Sharma said as a result of this forced rail blockade, railways had to suffer a
financial loss of Rs 5.61 crore. “Due to the financial loss incurred because of
the blockade, Railways had served a compensation notice through the Court of
Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alipurduar to the 20 leaders of GCPA who led the
agitation on December 11 last year. In due course of time, action would be
taken as per law to make up the losses,” he said.
Sharma said that as a result of the rail blockade, several
trains had to be cancelled and several trains were diverted through the
alternate route. Passengers travelling by trains suffered a lot, he added.
The CPRO also said that the agitators created nuisances and
hampered the railway working system and the blockade was completely
unauthorised and the agitators violated several sections of laws by obstructing
the train movement, endangering passenger safety and trespassing into railway
premises.
On duty Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police
personnel and local police officials tried to resist the agitators several
times through the public address system, and loudhailer and gave instruction
for the withdrawal of the agitation. However, the agitators denied withdrawing
the obstruction from the railway track. All the steps taken by the on-duty
security staff were being done as per the law, the official said.
Sharma said that the railway is seen as a soft target for
many agitator groups, though the demands of the group are in no way concerned
with the railways. The offences committed by such groups are extremely severe
and have far-reaching consequences directly putting passenger safety at huge
risk, he pointed out.
The CPRO said that the railways would always work to keep
its passengers' trust in safety and security upheld and never inspire such
groups with their illegitimate demands to see railways as an easy and soft
target.
