DIBRUGARH, Feb 19 - Despite demands from both the citizens� side and the railway workers, Northeast Frontier Railway general manager Chahatey Ram on Saturday could not give any assurance on enhancing better working conditions for the railway employees and neither could offer any immediate passenger amenity development in the city.
Members of the local NF Railway Mazdoor Union unit met the visiting railway general manager here and presented him a petition with thirteen grievances of the railway employees. These primarily related to staff essentials like living quarters, postings, functional roads to work places, facilities at the Dibrugarh Railway Hospital etc. The union�s office bearers told the general manager that the Dibrugarh Railway Station at Banipur is manned by 600 employees. Against this, there is residential facilities for just a tenth of the staff strength. The union stated that with more staff quarters is an immediate necessity. It is gathered that the general manager responded by saying that he does not have money to build a colony.
However, Chahatey Ram did assure the employees that matters relating to transfers and postings would be dealt with soon.
Dibrugarh MP Rameswar Teli told reporters here that on behalf of the people, he is asking the NF Railway authority to construct a flyover at the Banipur NH intersection to smoothen access to the Dibrugarh Railway Station. He said the station should have full platform cover/canopy so that passengers are saved from rain and sun while getting into and out of trains, at least on Platform Numbers 1 and 2/3. Presently, the Dibrugarh station just has about 100 metres of platform cover on Platform Number 1, which is a glaring example of criminal misplanning. Teli also said the railways need to introduce direct trains from Dibrugarh to Jaipur and Mumbai.
The railway general manager, accompanied by a team of officials, was on his annual inspection trip to the Simaluguri � Sivasagar � Dibrugarh line. Because of his visit, the Dibrugarh station at Banipur was all lit up, presenting a good picture to look at. Locals demanded that the lights and street lights should be operated and maintained permanently.
Chahatey Ram said the NF Railway is awaiting the receipt of the Shatabdi rake to start the Dibrugarh � Guwahati Shatabdi Express service. Speaking to newsmen, he said the Dibrugarh station at Banipur is a major station of the NF Railway network, and that the station is all set to be even more busier.
