Recently members of the Railway Standing Committee led by Abani Roy inspected the ongoing new construction works from New Coochbehar to Dhubri which have allegedly been delayed beyond the scheduled time. The team, which arrived at New Coochbehar from Guwahati by Rajdhani Express started physical inspection works at various points including Tufanganj, Maruganj under Coochbehar district while members went to the bridge construction site over the Gangadhar River at Pub Kanuari and inspected the erosion caused by the river. The team also inspected the gauge conversion works from Golokganj junction to Dhubri railway station and held a meeting with the officials from Maligaon NF Railway at Dhubri Circuit house.

Speaking in the press meet, Abani Roy said that it is true that works of the new railway line construction from Coochbehar to Dhubri as well as gauge conversion works from Dhubri to Fakiragram have been delayed beyond their scheduled time. However, the railway department has its own constrains as the survey and finalisation of project and then execution of works consumes lot of time. “However, committee members and I are satisfied with the progress of works and are expecting their completion by 2010,” Roy assured. However, the fact remains that though eighty percent of projects which fall in Coochbehar district of West Bengal have been completed while only fifty percent have been completed in Dhubri district.

As far as the project of 66.809 kms guage conversion from Dhubri to Fakiragram is concerned, it has been running abnormally behind schedule. The project which was started in 1999 with a cost of Rs. 91.89 crores has not been completed even though ten years have elapsed since its inception. Even though there were ten railway stations - Fakiragram, Sapatgram, Tipkai, Monglajhora, Basbari, Moterjhar Golokganj, Balajan, Gouripur and Dhubri along this length of railway track, in the new gauge conversion, Balajan railway station has been closed down. Officials of NF Railways assured that the gauge conversion works from Dhubri to Fakiragram would be completed by October this year.

The local people of Dhubri led by social worker, Badal Chandra Bhattacharjee handed over a memorandum to Abani Roy demanding a railway over - bridge at Sen Para and more railway crossings in the area which is highly congested and which adds to the hindrance of smooth flow of traffic. “If a railway over - bridge is not constructed at Sen Para Railway Crossing, it will create major traffic problems in the area as the town has been expanded to the Jhagrarpar side where colleges, Dhubri Civil Hospital, Stadium, Radio Centre, etc are located,” Bhattacharjee said. He also informed that Committee members have assured that they would consider these demands when they meet the railway officials.

On the other hand, under the constant pressure mounted by the Dhubri International River Port Demand Committee (DIRPDC), the Central Government has chalked out a plan to revive the river port by March 2010 but all these plans remain on paper as there is little progress of works on the ground. 

According to official sources, river Brahmaputra (891 Km) has already been declared as a National Waterway from Dhubri to Sadiya. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways is undertaking various developmental works in this National Waterway which includes construction of a terminal at Dhubri. Under an action plan to make the National Waterway fully functional by March, 2010, a floating terminal with open storage facility and road connectivity for movement of loaded trucks is proposed at Dhubri at an estimated cost of Rs.2.06 Crore, sources added. Moreover, the Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) has already provided a floating terminal with a crane for mechanical handling of cargo at Dhubri (Free India Ghat) after acquisition of land from the State Government.  IWAI has provided day navigation facilities in the entire stretch of National Waterway and 24 hours navigation facilities are available between Dhubri and Silghat (440 Kms) which will be provided in the entire stretch of National Waterway as per Action Plan, official sources claimed.

Apart from this, in a letter written to the former Dhubri MP, Anowar Hussain by former Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu informed about the reopening of the Dhubri river port. Baalu said that the government has granted in-principle approval for the acquisition of two hectares of land at Dhubri (Free India Ghat) at a cost of Rs.3.13 Crore in October, 2008 for the setting up of the terminal. After the handing over of the land by the State Government, development works for establishing a floating terminal at Dhubri (Free India Ghat) will be taken by the IWAI. Baalu also claimed that regular cargo movement by a large number of country craft is already taking place at Dhubri. Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department, Assam is transporting cargo on commercial basis through their small crafts. Private operators are also operating here. Under the protocol on inland Water Transit and Trade between India and Bangladesh, private operators of Numaligarh Refineries Ltd have also been transported via this waterway. Therefore, this route is already catering to international traffic. All the vessels to and from Haldia on the National Waterway are passing through Dhubri. 

However, member of DIRPDC Tripath Nath Chakraborty refuted the claim of Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu and said that though a part of the fund amounting to Rs. 1.51 crore has been released for the acquisition of the two hectares of land at Free India Ghat in Dhubri in October last year there has, as yet been no progress of works till now. 

Moreover, the claim by the ministry that this National Waterway will be fully functional by March, 2010 with a floating terminal with open storage facility and road connectivity for movement of loaded trucks and that it will be completed at Dhubri at the cost of Rs.2.06 crores is being challenged as nothing has so far been done at Dhubri, Chakraborty pointed out. “I don’t know how all these will be completed within a year’s time by the IWAI as spade work for the project is yet to be started,” Chakraborty said. 

As far as the reopening of Rupshi air port is concerned, it is not known to the people of this area as to how far this has progressed. However, former MP, Anbowar Hussain informed that for the reopening of Rupshi air port, he had got Rs. 5 crore sanctioned out of Rs. 65 crore for the total renovation of the airstrip.But there is hardly any visibility of works in the vicinity of Rupshi air port now under the BTAD although the amount was reportedly sanctioned in January this year.

Bijoy Sharma