Locals allege unauthorized expansion of ‘height limit barrier’ under Nazira railway bridge

A CORRESPONDENT

NAZIRA: Local residents and the Nazira Municipal authority have raised serious allegations that the Railway Department has undertaken an expansion of the ‘height limit barrier’ and road construction works under the Hatiharka overhead railway bridge in Nazira without informing the public. It is further alleged that a contractor, backed by influential local figures, is running the operation unchecked, with the Railway Department appearing to turn a blind eye.

According to locals, the work is being carried out covertly, with no public notice, consultation or clearance from the municipal authorities. This has sparked concerns about safety, traffic disruption, and possible violation of norms.

A steel ‘height‑limit barrier’ (locally called a ‘height indicator rod’) erected years ago by the Railway Department over the main road near Wards?2 and?3 of Nazira municipality has repeatedly caused severe damage to passenger buses, trucks, and other vehicles that strike it. The situation has turned deadly: a few years back two youths on a bus roof were crushed when the rod hit their heads, resulting in fatalities.

Despite repeated pleas to the Nazira co-district administration and the local MLA, no scientific or sustainable solution has been implemented. Residents have also approached the Public Works Department (PWD), but officials claim they can only repair the relatively narrow stretch of road and cannot undertake any major work because the area remains water‑logged year‑round, turning it into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a source of constant foul smell.

Now, the Railway Department has reportedly ordered a contractor to double the width of the existing height‑limit barrier and to ‘develop’ the water‑logged road section. About a month ago, the contractor dug a massive trench on Ward?2’s road as a trial, leaving it abandoned. Local journalists warned of imminent accidents, and indeed a pedestrian accident has already occurred in the ditch. Shockingly, no warning signs or safety markers were installed.

When a reporter visited the site recently, two workers identified themselves as contractual Railway Departmental workers and said that they intended to construct a raised road over the muddy stretch. When asked about Nazira Municipality’s drainage plan for the area, Railway supervisor Tanu Kumar replied that water‑removal was not their responsibility. The contractor’s representative, a youth named Pranjit Sharma, claimed that the road would be paved and that he would finish the work by January. He also refused to coordinate the disposal with the municipality, triggering a heated exchange of words with the journalist.

Within an hour, Nazira’s Municipal Chairperson and Engineer arrived on site after being informed. When the Chairperson questioned Pranjit Sharma about working without municipal permission, the contractor’s aide escalated the argument. He even told the Chairperson to lodge complaints at Simaluguri junction or Tinsukia railway office, insisting, “We are working in a railway area and no one has the right to stop us.”

The municipality has now instructed the Railway supervisor and contractor’s aide to meet with Nazira Municipal authorities for permission and discussion. Residents fear that the construction, funded by public revenue, may become another source of local problems and could even have to be demolished if it fails to address the underlying drainage and safety issues.

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