22 groups call Hailakandi bandh on April 8, demand direct Guwahati-Mizoram train
The general secretary of NASS, Ranjit Ghosh, said that after about 78 years of India's independence, the rail connectivity of Hailakandi district has not been upgraded.;
The leaders of various organisations expressed their dissatisfaction with not starting any direct train from Guwahati to Bairabi of Mizoram via Hailakandi.
Hailakandi, Feb 26: A 12-hour dawn-to-dusk Hailakandi district bandh has been called by 22 organisations of Hailakandi district led by the Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samiti (NASS) on April 8 next for the introduction of a direct train from Guwahati to Mizoram.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the leaders of various organisations expressed their dissatisfaction with not starting any direct train from Guwahati to Bairabi of Mizoram via Hailakandi. The general secretary of NASS, Ranjit Ghosh, said that after about 78 years of India's independence, the rail connectivity of Hailakandi district has not been upgraded.
He informed that they submitted memorandums to all the authorities concerned, observed hunger strikes, and organised a series of agitational programs for starting a direct train from Guwahati to Hailakandi or Bairabi, but all of these went in vain. Finding no alternative, they have finally called the Hailakandi district bandh to register their demand, informed the president of NASS Pre-mangshu Sekhar Paul.
The president of the Senior Citizens' Forum, Narayan Debnath, criticised the three elected MLAs of Hailakandi district, Karimganj MP and Rajya Sabha Member Mission Ranjan Das, for not taking the issue in their respective forums seriously, considering the plight of the people. He said that more than seven lakh people of Hailakandi district are facing extreme difficulties due to the non-availability of a direct train to the capital city of Guwahati and said that a similar situation is also being faced by the entire Mizoram state.
The press meet was also addressed by the secretary of the Marchants' Association, Sudip Paul; president of the pensioners' Association, Rejak Ali Laskar; president of the Drivers' Association, Kamrul Islam Choudhury; convenor of the Lumding Silchar Broadgauge Rupayan Samiti, Sushil Paul; president of the district Freedom Fighters Association, Sajal Bhattacharjee; and social activists Manik Chakraborty, Kallol Choudhury, Satyabrata Shom, and Santosh Kumar Mazumdar, among others.
By
Correspondent
