Kohima, Mar 9 (PTI) The issue of modernisation of the 123-year-old Dimapur Railway Station and large-scale land encroachment rocked Question Hour on the third day of the ongoing Budget session of the Nagaland Assembly on Monday.
Raising the issue, NPP MLA Nuklutoshi said the modernisation project has become controversial, with different stakeholders blaming each other.
He said the railway authorities have blamed the state government, the state government has blamed landowners and encroachers, while encroachers in turn have blamed the administration for issuing land pattas.
Nuklutoshi alleged that the issue stemmed from prolonged negligence, stating that the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) remained silent despite illegal constructions coming up over the years on railway land.
He said there was no formal complaint earlier from the railway authorities, even as structures continued to be built. He further pointed out that according to available data, around 614 illegal occupants are residing on railway land and about 30.283 hectares out of the total 53.806 hectares have been encroached.
He also claimed that over 1,100 illegal structures—including houses, shops, hotels, religious buildings and schools—have come up in the area.
The MLA said the situation could affect the proposed development of the station into a world-class facility. Citing discussions with stakeholders, he said three options were being considered: paying around Rs 132 crore for a resettlement plan, carrying out eviction of illegal occupants, or shifting the railway station to another location, such as Sukhovi or Tuli if land issues remain unresolved.
Responding to the issue, Minister for Transport P Paiwang Konyak said the matter is not a controversy and that the department, state government and NFR are working together to resolve it at the earliest.
He informed the House that the Government of India has sanctioned Rs 283 crore under the Amrit Bharat Scheme for upgrading Dimapur Railway Station into a world-class station. The minister also said Dimapur is the second-highest revenue-earning railway station in the Northeast.
Konyak said surveys were conducted in December by the department and district administration, which confirmed the presence of landowners and structures within the railway station area.
He said the state government has written to the General Manager of NFR, while the landowners have also submitted representations to the Ministry of Railways seeking compensation for land and structures.
He added that the landowners have demanded compensation at double the amount, and the government is awaiting a response from the Centre.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, while intervening in the discussion, said many developmental projects in Nagaland are delayed due to land-related issues.
He noted that Dimapur Railway Station, inaugurated in 1903, is the only railway station in the state and it has been selected for world-class development under the Amrit Bharat Scheme.
Rio said that over the years encroachments had taken place while the railway authorities remained silent and some administrative officers later regularised certain areas by issuing land pattas. He stressed the need for an amicable settlement between the government, the railways and the landowners.
The CM said some compensation could be considered for land and damages but should not be at the double rate demanded.
Affirming that the railway station must remain in Dimapur, and the government would take up the matter with the Railway authorities to ensure that the modernisation project proceeds without further delay. PTI NBS NBS RG
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