BADARPUR, Nov 27 � Badarpur is a very important Railway junction which has been a nerve centre as a Railway subdivision since the British era. It also serves as an important centre of BG Railway communication between south Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram. Hence, Badarpur needs to be upgraded from a Rail subdivision to a division.
This was stated by the general secretary of the Badarpur Rail Division Implementation Demand Committee (BRDIDC), Sukumar Ghosh, while talking to this correspondent. The BRDIDC has protested against the recent statement made by the outgoing Railway Area Manager of Badarpur, N Hariharan, who told media persons at the Badarpur Press Club that a Rail division might be set up at Silchar according to a resolution of the Railway Department.
Ghosh said that the BRDIDC and other sections of people here have resented the decision of the Ministry of Railways and the Central Government as the demand for a Badarpur Rail division has already become a mass movement since 1988.
The BRDIDC general secretary also stressed the importance and logistic advantage of the Badarpur Rail division. The movement will continue to set up a full-fledged Railway division here, he added. Ghosh warned that the nature of the movement might change if the Railway Ministry and the Central Government deprive Badarpur of its due place.
Advancing arguments in favour of setting up the Badarpur Rail division, Ghosh pointed out that Badarpur has sufficient Railway land to set up a full-fledged Rail division. The traffic control mechanism is also in place. From Badarpur, it is 500 km to the NC Hills; to the Bhairabi Section, it is 460 km; to Tripura, it is more than 510 km, and to the Manipur Section, it is a distance of 430 km. Thus, Badarpur is the gateway to neighbouring States like Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram and the entire Barak Valley.
All Railway services are controlled at Badarpur. So, if Railway communication is set up with Bangladesh in future, Badarpur will be the most suitable place as it is the nerve centre of the entire Barak Valley.
The BRDIDC leader stated that Badarpur has been identified as a very important Railway station in the broad gauge section by the Railway Ministry among total 28 Railway stations, where seven platforms with modern facilities would be built.
Ghosh maintained that the Railway subdivision at Badarpur has been adhering to the rules and regulations of a Rail division, which is not the case at Silchar. He, however, regretted that despite the long struggle and constant representations to the Centre and the Railway Ministry, no positive response in support of the Badarpur Rail Division has been received. Ghosh said that some people with vested interests, along with a few political leaders of the Barak Valley, do not want a Rail division here and are misguiding the Railway officials and Union ministers by giving wrong information about Badarpur.
Meanwhile, to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, the BRDIDC sent another memorandum, seeking their immediate intervention in the upgrade of the Badarpur Rail subdivision to a division.
