Sources said nearly 3,000 train passengers have been left stranded at different places and stations in Dima Hasao district for the past more than 36 hours. While Down Lumding-Agartala Express was stopped at Haflong, Down Cachar Express was stopped at Mahur and Up Cachar Express was stopped at Maibang station due to landslides. There have been big and small landslides at 91 odd places along a 171-km stretch between Mandardisa and Damcherra stations on the Hill section. The landslides occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday and were triggered by torrential downpour in the Barail Hills for the past few days.
Sources said railway authorities are yet to make any arrangements to get the stranded passengers to their destinations. This is because road connectivity has also been disrupted due to landslides. Under such circumstances, the NFR has roped in the Army and the civil administration. But there were no signs of immediate action from any quarters.
Sources said the stranded passengers have been suffering from want of food and drinking water. Some local NGOs have been distributing milk and biscuits among the passengers. Dima Hasao Autonomous Council authorities have also made arrangements for supply of food to the hapless travellers.
Although work for clearing the debris from the railway tracks has been undertaken, it will take some weeks to restore the route, an NFR official said on Wednesday. All the trains on this route have been cancelled for an indefinite period. "We can't say at this juncture when the route can be revived. However, work is going on at a war-footing. On Wednesday, there was no rain. This helped us make some progress in the restoration work," said the spokesman.
The largest landslide is between Dihaku and Mupa stations. The railway line between Harangajao and Mailongdisa was also washed away. A 130-metre stretch of the track was washed away on June 2 after a landslide and the track was repaired after 12 days. The NH 6 remained closed for the second day on Wednesday.
0 comments:
Post a Comment