TEZPUR, Dec 3 - The people of Hazarapar area in Tezpur town have strongly opposed the alleged illegal encroachment on railway land by some unscrupulous people.
After the broad gauge rail track came into being in 2014 with its final stoppage at Dekargaon, the historic metre gauge line from Dekargaon to Jahajghat on the bank of the Brahmaputra, covering a distance of about 7 km, became defunct.
The Dekargaon Railway Station is located at a distance of about 7 km from Tezpur town, and the Dekargaon-Tezpur town part of the metre gauge track was not converted to broad gauge at the request of the then Assam government.
The rail track under the NF Railway has been lying neglected over the last several years. Taking the advantage of the railway department�s reluctance to utilise the land, land mafia has been trying to illegally occupy the railway department�s land at different places along the heritage railway track.
Demanding revival of the Tezpur (old) Railway Station located at Jahajghat on the bank of the Brahmaputra, at the initiative of former Tezpur MP Ram Prasad Sharma, people of the town had submitted a number of representations to the Government of India as well as the railway department. But, till date, no action has been taken.
People of the area are now worried that due to the encroachment and illegal construction of buildings in the area, the residents will have to suffer from problems like water-logging and artificial floods.
As the metre gauge railway track is adjacent to the historic Hazara Pukhuri, the people are of the opinion that if the illegal occupation and construction continue, the heritage of the Hazara Pukhuri, a large tank excavated during the 17th century by Harjar Varman, will be in danger.
The residents have urged the district administration, the railway authority and the Government of India to intervene in the matter so as to recover the land from the illegal occupants.
