Post News Network
Keonjhar, April 23: Fifty four years have passed since Bolani railway station was set up, but the railways has given it short shrift as several basic facilities
like a platform, lighting, drinking
water and rest sheds have not been put in place for long.
As a result, passengers have to face a lot of hardships while the main focus of the station has been mineral transport. Thousands of people from over 20 tribal-dominated villages including Bolani, Lasarda, Dumruta, Hilltop, Balagoda, Bolani Basti, Kiriburu, Meghahatuburu and Nimturu alleged they do not avail of passenger train services here and have to go to Barbil to catch the Barbil-Tata passenger. Worse, they have to spend hours or even a whole night at Barbil to catch the train.
The locals have long been demanding operation of passenger trains from the station, but in vain. Several outfits like Bolani Bikash Parishad, Old Students’ Association, and local people have many a times pressed for extension of the Barbil-Tata passenger upto Bolani, so that people will not have to trek to a distant place like Barbil, unnecessarily spending their valuable time and money.
They also staged agitations and economic blockades for the purpose. The railways authorities had only assured them of fulfilling their demands, without virtually doing anything for it.
The local people organised an economic blockade for three days from March 8 to 10. Goods trains transporting minerals from various mines were halted during the three-day blockade, causing a huge
revenue loss to the railways. Divisional manager of Chakradharpur Railways division, Avtaar Singh, rushed to the agitation site and held talks with the protesters. Singh assured the locals of immediate steps to run passengers trains through Bolani. Later, the agitation was withdrawn.
One month has passed since then, but no concrete steps have been initiated for the purpose. Rather, a letter has been issued by the railways authorities that passenger train services at Bolani will not be feasible for the time being.
As the railways has reneged on its promises, discontent is again brewing among the people for another round of agitation. Locals lamented that the letter from the railways reflects its apathy towards the development of this backward area, even as the station needs several basic facilities.
Lashing out at the railways for its ‘flip-flop policy’, convener of Bolani Bikash Parishad, Subasish Nanda and several of its members said the railways has been generating over `300 crore revenue annually from Bolani station, but has not yet set up a platform, lighting, drinking water facilities and shed. “Denying passenger train services to this station is unfortunate,” they said.
“Though the station was made operational in 1961, railways has neglected its infrastructure development. Fringe areas like Bolani have remained backward and neglected in communication front. Such indifferent attitude will no longer be
tolerated,” they rued.