IMPHAL, Mar 1: The 97th meeting of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zonal railway users’ consultative committee (ZRUCC) took place at Maligaon on Friday. The meeting, presided over by Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, General Manager of NF Railway, was conducted by DGM and Secretary of ZRUCC, Anurag Agarwal, as stated in a press release from NFR.

The meeting was attended by Members of Parliament Dr. Jayanta Kumar Roy (Jalpaiguri) and Khagen Murmu (Maldah Uttar), members of state legislative assemblies such as Rupjyoti Kurmi (Mariani) and Tapi Darang (Pasighat East), as well as representatives from MPs, senior officers from state governments, and other members from northeastern states, West Bengal, and Bihar.

The main objective of the meeting was to facilitate direct interaction with various categories of railway users, enabling the sharing of ideas and suggestions for improving railway infrastructure and services in the region.

Shrivastava welcomed all the members and urged them to put forward their suggestions on various aspects of railway services, assuring them that their recommendations would be given due consideration by the railway authorities. He highlighted ongoing connectivity projects aimed at improving rail links to the capitals of northeastern states.

Additionally, Shrivastava announced that six new Gati Shakti cargo terminals would soon be opened, and round-the-clock operations would be introduced at various goods sheds to support local traders and businessmen. These initiatives are expected to boost the local economy. Other customer-friendly measures, such as the introduction of QR code machines at ticket counters for cashless transactions, and enhanced catering services at various stations, were also mentioned.

The GM also spoke about NFR’s progress toward achieving 100% railway electrification by 2025. He highlighted the successful implementation of the Intrusion Detection System, which has significantly reduced elephant fatalities on railway tracks.

The meeting also featured detailed discussions on several important issues, including the resumption of local trains, additional stoppages, enhancement of passenger amenities, and security improvements at stations and onboard trains. Further topics of discussion included the construction of new railway tracks, the building of new RUB/ROB and FOBs, as well as the interlocking and elimination of level crossing (LC) gates.