General Manager (GM) of the Northeast Frontier Railway, Sanjive Roy yesterday (22nd January 2020) expressed concern over encroachment of railway land, which is hampering development of the Dimapur Railway Station, the second highest revenue earning station under NFR.
He was visiting the Dimapur station with a host of officials to inspect all facilities, ongoing and completed developmental activities. The General Manager stated that with cooperation from the government, civil societies and public in general, more developmental activities can be ushered into Dimapur Station make it more developed station.
He assessed the completed and ongoing projects besides taking note of more work that needs to be done. Among others, the station renovation projects that were inaugurated yesterday included premium air-conditioned waiting hall for passengers on the platform No. 1 and cloak room.
Taking opportunity of his visit, the Nagaland State Railway Contractors’ Union submitted a representation to the General Manager that highlighted the need for up-gradation and revamp of Dimapur Railway Station.
The union representation signed by its president, Niuto Awomi and general secretary, Mughaho Zhimomi said that the station needs complete overhaul for its’ up-gradation. Requests in the representation included construction of new station building with a bigger and higher central area, bigger waiting halls, a state of the art paid executive waiting hall, processed food and water vending machines, increased number of retiring rooms, fast food unit and stalls inside the building and all offices to be shifted to the upper floor and ground floor to be kept only for the passengers.
Also giving a thought about Railway Colony development, the union urged for road and drainage construction in the colony and renovation of quarters inside the colony which according to the union are more than 50 years old.
The union further urged the NF railway to give importance to deal with all encroachment with severity in order to allow more developmental activities and to increase the strength of security personnel and patrol squad to be deployed.
Dimapur railway station handles around five thousand passengers a day. However, there are hardly 600 seats available for around 5000 passengers. Encroachment has restricted the width of Platform No.2 to just six meters while the required space is nine meters in order to construct a canopy over the platform.
The narrow width causes severe constriction during rush hour, made worse, when cargo goods are dumped on the platform. During summer and winter, passengers are subjected to the mercy of the weather. The encroachment has also restricted development of passenger utility areas at the front where two mandirs have come up along with a guest house.
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