Railway Ministry Approves Construction of Road Overbridge in Siliguri, BJP MP Welcomes the Decision

On the southern outskirts of Siliguri, at Rangapani, the Union Railway Ministry would construct a road overbridge (ROB) and provide all project funding.

The senior chief engineer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Sandip Sharma, addressed a letter on Friday informing the divisional railway manager of the Katihar division of the NFR, which includes Rangapani.

"Detailed design and drawing work are under progress, and the cost estimate is being thoroughly reevaluated. After completing these requirements, work on building the ROB will begin. According to an NFR source, the state PWD authorized the ROB's general arrangement drawing (GAD) last month.

Raju Bista, the Darjeeling MP for the BJP, asked Union Railway Minister Ashwin Vaishnaw for the overbridge's sanction in January of last year.

"More than a lakh people use the level crossing (on NH27) every day, and regular train movements result in a protracted closure of the crossing gate, creating inconvenience and traffic jams," said Bista.

According to him, traffic congestion becomes worse when oil rakes arrive or depart the neighboring Numaligarh Refinery Limited facility.

"That the railroads have finally authorized the project is a wonderful thing. The BJP MP said, "They will fully finance the project, and we think it would greatly benefit the people who live in the Siliguri area and those who go along the road on a daily basis.

The level crossing is located adjacent to Rangapani, the first station seen after traveling 7 km south from New Jalpaiguri Station.

According to a source, "Railway officials will submit estimates to the Railway Board by February 15 this year."

Inside the carriage, smoke

At Khaltipur station in the Malda division of Eastern Railway on Saturday morning, smoke began to emerge from beneath a general carriage of the Kulik Express headed for Howrah. This caused alarm amongst the passengers.

According to sources, the train was leaving Malda Town station at 9.15 am when a railway worker saw smoke and notified the Khaltipur station manager. When the train's loco pilot learned about it, he also halted the operation.

The worried coach's occupants disembarked as soon as the train came to a halt. They were followed by a few more from the adjacent compartments.

Teams from the Railway Protection Force and the technical maintenance wing of the railroads quickly arrived at the scene. They completed the required upkeep tasks. After around thirty minutes, the train was signaled to depart the station.

Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Kausik Mitra said that brake binding of the train's wheels was the cause of the tragedy.

"The train departed after 30 minutes after the problem was promptly resolved. Rail traffic on the line was not hampered, and no damage has been detected," he added.

Soumya De Sarkar's further reporting in Malda