Infrastructures being stolen from Nepal’s only railway

JANAKPURDHAM, Apr 10: At a time the expansion of railway line in Nepal is running in full gusto in coordination with the Indian government, infrastructures of the one and only railway in the country, the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway, are being stolen in lack of proper protection.

The 59-kilometre narrow gauge railway is the first railway of Nepal. Security guards complain that theft of railway’s infrastructures is on the rise as they are not well-equipped with the security materials. The latest loss to theft was the batteries of the railway’s engine.

Alam Kawari, one of the security guards in the railway, shared that since the concerned authorities have not provided them the sophisticated materials, it has been difficult for them to keep a close eye on thieves who often try their luck at night.

Ramchandra Sah, Executive Chief of the Railway Office in Janakpurdham, however, has his own explanation. “Since many staff recently got retired, the cases of theft are occurring in lack of adequate human resources to guard the old infrastructures of the railway.”

The government of India, in a bid to expand the railway into a broad gauge railway, has already distributed Rs 240 million in compensation to households in Dhanusha, Mahottari and Siraha. As many as 22 culverts have already been constructed while eight other are under construction.

The workers here are removing the old infrastructures like the railway tracks, engine of the old bogies and the like as a part of the expansion project.

Similarly, six big bridges and four station buildings in various four places are also being built in connection to expansion of the railway.

Amid the rapid pace of construction of the new infrastructures, the older ones are facing risk of theft, it is stated.

RSS