Passenger services in Assam face delays as demand rises for decentralised railway decision-making at the local level

A CORRESPONDENT

NALBARI: The demand for greater decentralisation in the railway decision-making process has gained attention in Assam, with concerns being raised that excessive centralisation is delaying several passenger-oriented services at the local level.

Dipankar Sharma, General Secretary of the Assam Rail Passengers Association, has called for greater powers to be delegated to railway divisions and zonal offices so that routine matters concerning passenger services can be decided without unnecessary delays at the Railway Board level.

According to Sharma, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) headquarters at Maligaon, Guwahati, oversees several divisions, including Tinsukia, Lumding, Rangiya, Alipurduar, and Katihar. He said that in many cases, the concerned division conducts the initial assessment of proposals related to train services and stoppages before forwarding them to the zonal office.

However, when such proposals subsequently require approval from the Railway Board in New Delhi, even relatively simple matters may take a considerable amount of time to be implemented, he said.

Sharma cited the demand for restoration of the stoppage of the Dekargaon-Murkongselek Intercity Express at Jiadhol railway station near Dhemaji as an example. The stoppage, which had reportedly been discontinued after the COVID-19 pandemic, has been a longstanding demand of local residents.

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