Assam: Absence of Railway Crossing Imperils Lives of Tribal Children in Goalpara

Goalpara, December 2, 2019:

The absence of a railway crossing has imperiled the lives of two villages -- Bar Makori and Kharboja -- in Goalpara district of Assam.

The two villages, with a high population of tribals, which falls under the Balijana revenue circle in the district, has been without a level crossing for 29 years.

Every in the morning, the young children of the villages, can be seen crossing the railway line. For these children, this is nothing new, as the children grew up with crossings, and grew up crossing the lines at breakneck pace. Students of the region attend the Kharboja LP School and Makri LP and ME School.

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A local elderly man says that since the laying of the lines in 1990s, they have been demanding a crossing. Locals have also informed the media that theu have already lost five grown ups and two students to running trains, but the Government is yet to fulfill their demand.

On November 11 last we submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner’s office, but

The 22 families in BorMakori village and 20 families in Kharboja village live in constant dread as any day, the death of a near and dear one might reach their ears.

Although their concern is very much genuine, a railway official informed that the DC will have to write to the Division Railway Manager, and a decision will only be taken after conducting a survey.

However, the villagers, who have suffered enough, have demanded an immediate solution to their problem. They demand either an underground tunnel or a railway crossing -- and only time will tell whether their demands will be fulfilled by the Assam Government.

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