DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26: While the NF Railways claim to have improved the basic amenities at Dimapur Railway Station with modern facilities, the fact remains that land encroachment has hindered several development and expansion works for many years.
At present, as the Indian Railways have taken up modernization of Railway Stations across the country, laying of double tracks and electrification, Dimapur Railway Station may not see those changes, unless the land encroachment issue is solved.
Talking to media persons, General Manager, NF Railways Ansul Gupta admitted that the land encroachment is a very serious issue. “We have started a drive to free our land and Dimapur is not an exception”, he said.
He said the NF Railways need land at Dimapur Railway Station and other places also,as many development projects are coming up. He said doubling of tracks has to be done from Lumding to Furkating for which land is required, adding there is modernization of Dimapur Railway Station into world class station is in the offing with many public facilities such as medical services, food courts, etc, for which land is required.
He said the NF Railways is going to launch a drive to evict the encroachers initially with some negotiations with the help of the state Government
“The Supreme Court has already given its order that eviction of Railway land should be immediately done by the State and district authorities”, he disclosed.
On the claim of Land Owners Union that the land was passed on to them by their ancestors, the General Manager said, “Whatever is our land is our land. People may say anything but whatever is of Railways will remain railways’ land.”
He also said that Railways are here in Dimapur since ages. “Railways came to this state in 1903 in Dimapur but before that the land was taken over by the Railways in 1900. It is all Railway land wherever eviction is going to happen”, he added.
When asked when they are going to start eviction drive, the General Manager said there is no timeline for eviction drive. “It may be immediately because the projects have been sanctioned such as doubling project, we have to go and take the help of the district authorities and local authorities. We need security cover for evicting and the district authorities have to provide the security forces for law and order”, he said.
On allegation that Nagaland Government has not given support to the Railways for eviction or demarcation of boundary, he said, “We have never said that state Government is not giving support. It is already a joint process. As per our records, we need cooperation and they have already started providing the support and we will acquire our land.”
When pointed out that few years back, the NF Railway tried to evict the encroachers but failed, as they produced stay order from court, Gupta said this time they would follow the Supreme Court’s directive.
When pointed out that there are several religious structures and whether the Railways would evict them, Gupta said any structure, as per Supreme Court’s order, would be examined and if the religious building are authorized or encroached, can be shifted from one place to another.
Regarding schools in the Railway land, he said any unauthorized building which is coming in the path of development have to go.
It may be mentioned that there is 8-km railway track in Dimapur where the Railways are facing problems of land encroachment or land issues.
When asked when would the doubling of tracks start from Lumding to Furkating passing through Dimapur, he said the project has already been sanction and the physical work would start soon. He also disclosed the electrification will complete, including Dimapur Railway Station by 2023.
(Page News Service)
