ACAUT says Dimapur rail project in jeopardy, asks Nagaland govt. to evict encroachers

DIMAPUR — The anti-graft group Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland has accused the state government of lacking commitment towards assisting the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in redeveloping Dimapur Railway Station into a world class facility.

In a press release issued on Thursday, ACAUT Nagaland stated that the Centre has allotted a fund of INR 283 crore for the redevelopment of the train station.

“The transformation project at Dimapur Railway Station was scheduled to begin by April 30, 2024 but due to delay in eviction of illegal settlers by the state Government, the proposed start of the project was probably rescheduled,” it stated.

The Dimapur Railway Station has been deprived of development for decades despite handling an estimated ten thousand passengers, both incoming and outgoing, and its past record as the second-highest revenue generator for the NFR.

“It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on August 6, 2023 for the ambitious redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country at an estimated cost of INR 1 lakh crore of which Dimapur Railway Station was among 508 stations selected spanning across 27 states and union territories.

“This project is expected to revolutionise the passenger experience by offering modern amenities and well-designed traffic circulation. However, this remains in abeyance so long as land is not made available for redevelopment and expansion of Railway facilities. Reportedly, land encroachment started decades back and as per the NFR officials 30.283 hectares out of 53.806 hectares of railway land is encroached in Dimapur,” read the press release.

However, it stated that Nagaland government has been unable to evict the illegal encroachers or decide on an alternative arrangement with NFR “to either compensate or shift the Dimapur Railway Station elsewhere towards Thahekhu Block-7 or beyond”.

“Reportedly, NFR has approached the state government and still awaiting government’s plan for next course of action and also the detailed joint survey of the encroached land is not done till date. Such   inordinate delay and unavailability of land might lead NFR to cancelling the project or diverting the proposed development to nearby station in Assam.

“This would reduce Dimapur station to a mere transit station, forcing the public to travel to Assam to board trains. Businesses would also need to travel to Assam for loading and unloading goods, resulting in significant losses for the people living in Nagaland,” it stated.

ACAUT Nagaland asserted that it is imperative for the government of the day to uphold the rule of law and deliver justice without fear or favour.

“Therefore, ACAUT Nagaland strongly urges the government of Nagaland to immediately begin eviction of illegal encroachers, demolish unauthorised structures, and hand over the land to Indian Railways,” it stated.

Also read: Naga Council calls for rationalisation of employees within DMC