Haflong, Oct. 4 (Samsul Alam/ Haflong News 18 Oct/2016): The lone railway passenger reservation system counter at Haflong, the district headquarters of Dima Hasao district in Assam, has not been functioning for the past two weeks.
The counter is at Lower Haflong railway station (old metre gauge station), 6km from Haflong town. The New Haflong railway station (broad gauge) has no reservation facilities. The broad gauge became operational on November 15, 2015, on the Lumding-Silchar stretch.
Daily, hundreds of people from in and around Haflong town visit the counter and return after finding it locked and a board written “link failure”. They are compelled to buy tickets from private vendors paying extra.
People of Haflong are upset with the railway authorities for not giving importance to the lone reservation counter in Haflong.
K.L. Chakraborty, general secretary, Railway Passenger Amenities Committee, said, “We have been complaining to the railways several times. We have even written to the general manager, NF Railway, Maligaon, Guwahati. Today, a technical staff visited and said there is a problem in the modem so it will take some more time. This is festive season and many people plan to travel. They are forced to pay extra to buy tickets from private vendors. I also suspect a nexus between the railways and private ticket vendors.”
A. Singha, commercial inspector (IT) who visited Haflong to check the fault in the system, said the instruments and machines used in Haflong were old and out of date, so they must be replaced. “I found a fault in the modem so I sent it for repairs, I can’t say by when the counter will be operational.”
Daily, hundreds of people from in and around Haflong town visit the counter and return after finding it locked and a board written “link failure”. They are compelled to buy tickets from private vendors paying extra.
People of Haflong are upset with the railway authorities for not giving importance to the lone reservation counter in Haflong.
K.L. Chakraborty, general secretary, Railway Passenger Amenities Committee, said, “We have been complaining to the railways several times. We have even written to the general manager, NF Railway, Maligaon, Guwahati. Today, a technical staff visited and said there is a problem in the modem so it will take some more time. This is festive season and many people plan to travel. They are forced to pay extra to buy tickets from private vendors. I also suspect a nexus between the railways and private ticket vendors.”
A. Singha, commercial inspector (IT) who visited Haflong to check the fault in the system, said the instruments and machines used in Haflong were old and out of date, so they must be replaced. “I found a fault in the modem so I sent it for repairs, I can’t say by when the counter will be operational.”
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