[ Prafulla Kaman ]
RUKSIN, 8 Oct: The people of the Siang valley and residents of Jonai in neighbouring Assam have expressed concern that the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is not paying attention to the renovation of the collapsed railway bridge at Simen Chapori.
It may be recalled that a portion of the railway bridge collapsed on 28 June this year, shifting the course of the Simen River last monsoon, which washed away a large portion on its right bank, making one of the piers of the bridge become unstable. Consequently, a portion of the Bailey bridge collapsed.
NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Srivastava, along with other senior officials, visited the collapsed bridge over the Simen River. A team of railway engineers hired from Lucknow (UP) also inspected the damaged railway bridge, and offered technical suggestions to NFR officials for its renovation.
According to railway engineers, the changing river course damaged a pier of the bridge and eroded a large portion on its right bank. The extent of damage forced them to redesign the Bailey bridge, increasing its earlier length, and to rebuild it.
However, the NFR authority is yet to start the restructuring work of the collapsed bridge, resulting in hardship for the people living in the region.
After the bridge collapsed, the NFR suspended operation of trains along a 60-km route from Silapathar to Murkongselek (Jonai) stations.
The disruption of rail services connecting Murkongselek station has hit residents in Dipa, Nari-Seren, Telam, Ruksin, Pasighat and other parts of the valley, and the greater Jonai area. For the people, trains are a more affordable option than buses or private vehicles for travelling to distant destinations, including Guwahati.
Four passenger trains connecting Murkongselek (Jonai) near Ruksin with Guwahati, Rangiya, Dekargaon, and Ledo (Upper Assam) besides some good trains were operating along the route on a daily basis.
The people of the Siang belt and Jonai (Assam) urged NFR officials to ensure early renovation of the collapsed bridge and restoration of rail services between Silapathar and Murkongselek stations.
Recently, several hundred members of NGO Mission for Global Change, in association with the Railway Passengers' Union, staged a dharna in front of the Jonai co-district commissioner's office in Murkongselek and submitted memorandum through him to the divisional railway manager, Tinsukia, demanding early resumption of the suspended rail services.
