Sahebganj, July 5: For residents of the district, better days after British rule are yet to come. According to them, Indian policy makers have turned the place into a ghost town, which the Raj had once developed into a flourishing commercial centre.

British officials had placed Sahebganj on the country’s first railway map.

After the first railway network of the country — from Bombay to Thane in 1853 — the East India Company assigned Bengal-Nagpur railway to connect Rajmahal and Sahebganj with Burdwan.

According to the residents, the British had provided communication facilities for the residents through the railways.

But the first major blow came in the first half of the Eighties when the then Union railway minister A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury, who also represented Malda of West Bengal, shifted all important railway functionaries from the Sahebganj to Malda.

“It’s hard to get change for even a hundred rupee note, after the important railway departments were shifted from Sahebganj. The town virtually wore a deserted look, said Sailen Adhakari, a senior resident.

For majority of the town residents, the railways became a nightmare.

“Barakatda was responsible for the situation. He also helped some irresponsible leaders to change the site of the proposed bridge over river Ganga from Sahebganj to Rajmahal,” alleged residents.

Ramjanam Mishra, a local mediaperson, recalled how the busy Sahebganj turned into a ghost town.

“I was in the saloon of the minister and some local Union leaders approached him to solve the problem of a large number of the railways’ casual labourers. The minister got annoyed and refused to talk with them. In retaliation, the leaders and local residents garlanded him with shoes and sandals. Within a month, all important railway establishments were transferred from here to Malda, the home turf of the minister,” he said.

A month later, the railway control room (which controls the movements of trains from Sahebganj to Dhanuri, Sahebganj to Khana junction and Sahebganj to Ajimganj sections), signal, office of DME and office of foreman of loco, along with the loco shed, were shifted to Malda.

After three decades, Sahebganj town was left with two running rooms, two railway institutes and a few other buildings as remnants of its past.

People here alleged that the local public representatives had shut their ears to local interests and literally compromised before outside leaders like Choudhury.

Before the construction of Farakka barrage, Sahebganj was only the gateway to the Northeast.

The railway had its own ferry services and goods were transported from Sahebganj to Manihari in Katihar district across the river Ganga.

“Loaded railway wagons were transported to Manihari, across the river on the railway steamers, said Abdesh Kumar, a local businessman.

Foodgrain, stone chips and Sabai grasses also transported on the wagons to the north-eastern parts of the country and even Bangladesh.