Dimapur, January 3 (MExN): The Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU) on Tuesday questioned the decision of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to extend Nagaland Express train service to Ledo.
The Union stated that the ‘drastic’ decision of NFR has mostly affected the students and the citizens of Nagaland who could not afford airline service and depend on train service for transportation.
It cautioned that it would resort to take ‘action’ if the decision was not revoked immediately.
Reacting to a news item published on December 16, 2020 which stated that Nagaland Express would no longer terminate at Dimapur but at Ledo, the DNSU termed the decision ‘ignorant’ and ‘discriminatory’.
“Despite being aware of the fact that Dimapur earns the second highest revenue in the Northeast after Guwahati, Such ignorant decision taken by NFR downgrading the Dimapur station to the same level with smaller stations in Assam is totally unfair and discriminatory,” DNSU President Sedevilie Angami and General Secretary B Mhajan Tsopoe stated in a press release.
To meet the needs of the passengers in Ledo, one cannot deprive the rights of the passengers of Dimapur Station, the Union added.
It also maintained that the reasons given by NFR for extension of the train to Ledo were ‘baseless excuses’.
For the past nine years, the service has been smoothly functioning and there has never been a question of lack of facilities or proper water supply, AC coach, cleanliness etc, DNSU stated.
If such had been the case, how was the NFR functioning instead of implementing solution and providing better service, it questioned.
In regard to decrease in the number of train passengers due to COVID-19, pandemic, DNSU also pointed out that, on an average the number of passengers decreased since certain SOPs were laid down for travellers and that NFR should not be expecting to generate revenue at such period of time.
Such hasty decision affecting the passengers of Dimapur especially the students in particular will not be accepted, the Union asserted and added that it would be forced to take further action “such as blockade of any train passing through Dimapur railway station,” if the decision was not immediately revoked.
