World War II-era railroad crossing in Dibrugarh to be shut down on Dec 30
Called the Convoy Road crossing, it was built during the Second World War in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The historic road crosses the railway track here, which is India's second oldest and was made operational in 1873 between Dibrugarh and Dinjan.
Dibrugarh, Dec 29: A World War II vintage railroad crossing here will be formally declared closed on December 30. However, the railroad crossing at the ground level has been blocked for vehicular traffic since Friday.
Called the Convoy Road crossing, it was built during the Second World War in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The army convoys of the Allied Forces used to take this road from the Mohanaghat steamer jetty in their journey towards Burma (present-day Myanmar) via Margherita and the Pangsau Pass. In Dibrugarh, the road became known as the Convoy Road. The historic road crosses the railway track here, which is India's second oldest and was made operational in 1873 between Dibrugarh and Dinjan.
One of the most famous residents along the Convoy Road in those days was RG Baruah, the founder of The Assam Tribune Group. He founded this newspaper here in 1939.
The reason behind the closure of the special railway gate number 10DD at the ground level is that the Convoy Road flyover is nearing completion and is likely to be thrown open by January 2025. These days the middle section of the flyover is being erected as a cantilevered steel structure. To facilitate the ongoing work, a service road has been made operational between the Tea Museum and the Kadamoni Bus Terminus.
Work on the flyover got delayed due to land acquisition issues. Residents near the railroad crossing had demanded fair compensation, while the authorities wanted to get the land as cheap as possible. This tussle delayed the construction works by almost a year. The deadlock was finally resolved, and the work on the flyover recommenced sometime last year after the administration agreed to hike the compensation rates.
Leading local citizen Alfred Shams said the railways should have made arrangements for small vehicles to cross the railway track underneath the flyover. This would also make the Banipur railway terminus easily accessible. He added that the flyover itself has serious design flaws, pointing out that the structure should have had four carriageways.
It is now a two-carriageway flyover and is bound to add to the traffic chaos once it is thrown open to the public. Several other citizens expressed a similar opinion. Obviously, the local PWD engineers lack foresight, and local politicians have no interest in any meaningful development of the city.
By-
Ron Duarah
