SILCHAR, May 8 ? Lack of adequate security cover and a hostile terrain make the Railway employees and the contractors engaged in the gauge conversion work between Lumding and Silchar easy targets of the militants, particularly the militants belonging to the Dima Halong Daogah (DHD). There were several instances in recent past when persons engaged in the gauge conversion work came under attack from the armed militants, and if such incidents are not checked, the gauge conversion work will be seriously affected. During a recent trip through the hill section of the Lumding-Silchar line of the Railways, this correspondent found out that the Railway employees posted in the section are at the receiving end of the militants? actions. As majority of the Railway stations are located in isolated places, the security cover provided is not at all adequate and the militants openly move around with weapons in the vicinity of such stations. All the employees posted in the stations in the North Cachar hill district have to pay 10 per cent of their salaries to the militants every month and of late, they are forced to pay even ?house rent? to the militants. One Railway officer posted in a station in the NC Hills said on condition of anoymity,? we have no other option but to meet the demands of the militants. There have been instances when our people were roughed up for the delay in payments and as the militants move around freely with sophisticated weapons, we are always under threat. The Railway employees have also stopped wearing uniforms in the hill section stations to avoid detection by the militants.?
Another Railway employee, an assistant station superintendent said, ?the intelligence network of the militants is stronger than that of the police and we shall be targeted if they manage to find out that we spoke to the media about the extortion. Everyone knows that we have to pay the militants to buy peace. You can well imagine how we are maintaining our families after paying major chunk of our salaries to the militants.? During the trip, this correspondent had the opportunity of travelling a portion of the hill section in a trolley and found that the stations and the Railway track, which passes through dense forests and hills with no visible security cover, can easily become easy targets for the militants.
The activities of the militants may also delay the implementation of the gauge conversion project. According to information available, the contractors engaged in the project have to pay regularly to the militants to buy peace and the workers of the contractors were targeted on several occasions over payment disputes. Railway sources said that a camp of a contractor at Damchera-Bandarkhal was burnt down in February this year, while, one driver was shot dead. One Assistant Engineer was abducted from near the Mandardesha Railway Station and only last month, a camp of the RITES, working on soil testing for a new tunnel at Dihakho Mupa was attacked. Railway sources said that the workers of the contractors do not feel safe to work in the hills section and such feeling of insecurity would definitely slow down the progress of the gauge conversion.
Railway sources also pointed out that at present only the earthwork and the construction of bridges of the gauge conversion work are in progress and senior Railway officers have to visit the work sites with security cover. But the Railway officers would have to camp at the sites when the major works like tunnelling or laying of rails start and the troubles would start only then as it would be difficult to provide security cover to all the camp sites. Sources also pointed out that as law and order is a State subject, the State Government should at least arrange for regular patrolling in the vulnerable areas and police or CRPF pickets should be posted in the vulnerable stations to instill a sense of confidence in the minds of the people engaged in the gauge conversion project to ensure timely completion of the same.