PMO directs Rlys to ensure train movement
By R Dutta Choudhury GUWAHATI, June 19 – The Government of India is concerned with the probability of the Barak Valley districts of Assam as well as the states of Mizoram, Tripura and parts of Manipur facing shortage of food stuff due to disruption of train services between Lumding to Badarpur following militant attacks and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has directed the Railways to ensure movement of at least essentials. Train services in the Lumding-Badarpur section has been badly hit following a series of attacks by the militants belonging to the Black Widow group and the problem compounded as normally in this time of the year, additional food stuff are sent to the Barak Valley and Mizoram, Tripura and parts of Manipur as the hill section of the NF Railway is often affected because of landslides during the rainy season. Train running in the section was suspended for more than a week with effect from May 15 and though the NF Railways has started running of goods trains, it will take some time for the services to become normal.Official sources said that the PMO, in consultation with the Food Ministry, has asked the Railways to ensure movement of at least 3,500 tonnes of food stuff in the Lumding-Badarpur section per day to ensure that Barak Valley, Mizoram, Tripura and parts of Manipur do not face scarcity of essential commodities. Railway sources, on the other hand, said that efforts are on by the NF Railway to meet the requirement as given by the PMO by running four goods trains daily. It is learnt that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has also initiated steps to transport essentials by road to maintain the stock position, while, the traders have also started using the roadways to transport essentials. But the possibility of Barak Valley, Mizoram and Tripura facing shortage of petroleum products cannot be ruled out as no train carrying POL has moved in the section in recent times. Earlier, at least one train carrying POL products used to run from Lumding to Badarpur in a day.Sources said that before the trouble broke out in NC Hills, at least eight to ten goods trains and six passenger trains used to run in the Lumding-Badarpur section every day and now only five trains, including four goods trains and one security special are running in the section daily. Sources revealed that the efforts are on to reopen the stations that were closed after the suspension of operations in the area and so far 14 of 27 stations have been reopened. But the staff are not staying overnight in most of the stations and they proceed to their place of posting only by the security special train in the morning and come back to Lumding later in the evening. No decision has yet been taken to resume night running of trains.The Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi yesterday said that the State Government was insisting on resumption of passenger train services in the section as suspension of it caused hardship to the common people. However, the Railways are yet to take any decision as to when passenger train services would be resumed. Sources said that the Railways are keen on running of passenger trains as soon as the situation in the hill district is considered to be conducive. Following a series of attacks, the Railway employees were demanding posting of RPSF personnel on the stations, deployment of the Army in the vulnerable locations in the section and deployment of central paramilitary forces for track patrolling. The Railways started the process of deployment of RPSF personnel in the stations, while, the other two demands are yet to be fulfilled and the Railway employees are still apprehensive of their security.Meanwhile, the drivers of the trains have been provided with bullet proof vests available with the RPSF, but it is a tough task to wear the vests for long hours inside the engines. On the other hand, a decision has also been taken for making the engines bullet proof and the Railways held talks with several firms having the expertise in doing so, but the cost involved in doing so would be very high and extra funds would have to be made available to the NF Railways to do so. The process of making the engines bullet proof would also be a long one as at least 40 days would be required to modify one engine.
