HAFLONG, March 3 � The frequent late running of trains like the Barak Valley, Cachar Express, Agartala Express and Hill Queen along with unjustified detention of these trains at several stations has caused serious concern among the travelling passengers of southern Assam, Tripura and Manipur, alleged the people of Dima Hasao district.
These trains running from Lumding � Silchar and Lumding � Agartala and back get late due to unauthorised detention in undesignated stations for reasons best known to the authority of the NF Railway. On February 29, the Down Agartala Express was cancelled and the Up Agartala Express was 19 hours late. The Barak Valley which left Silchar at 8.30 am reached Lumding at 11.20 pm, covering a distance of only 219 km and causing immense inconvenience to the travelling passengers.
This train was detained first at Katakhal for one hour, from Badarpur it left at 12.30 pm, then it was detained at Maibang, Mupa and Manderdisa just before the Lumding station for more than 45 minutes.
People alleged that the sufferings of the travelling passengers have never been considered by the railway authority and neither are minimum facilities for the passengers being provided.
Rather these passengers were being subjected to uncertainty and utter inconvenience, and sometimes even harassment. In fact, the Railway authority has always been undermining the safety, security and punctuality though these were the mottos of the Railway.
The condition of the Hill Queen, a train which runs between Lumding-Lower Haflong to connect the Janshatabdi is more disturbing. Actually, this train was introduced to get connection of Jansatabdi at Lumding but due to such unjustified detentions at several stations, the passengers of this train often miss Janshatabdi and face untold sufferings.
When the Assistant Station Master at Manderdisa J Ahmed was quizzed on the cause of such detention of the trains, he disclosed that he has been serving there for seven years along with all these problems. He could not assure when the people of this area could be relieved of such sufferings.
