Dhubri, Aug. 4: The Biswajit Roy faction of the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students Union will paralyse train services from next Monday if Dispur does not respond to its demand for tripartite talks, involving the Centre, on a separate Kamtapur state for the community by carving out bordering districts of Assam and West Bengal.

The 1000-hour economic blockade of the union that began on July 20 has already bought down the number of trucks from around 1,200 to nearly 400. If the union sticks to its decision, services of altogether 24 trains will be affected, worsening the crisis of goods transportation.

Roy told The Telegraph today that state government’s silence on their demand had forced them to intensify their agitation.

“From the beginning, the ball is in the government’s court and it will remain there. Even after 15 days of the highway blockade, the government has not responded to our demands. The blockade of railway tracks will be enforced with our all might if it does not respond before August 11,” Roy said.

The 1000-hour blockade ends on August 30.

Railway sources said that the agitation in its galvanised form would cripple the services of 12 pairs of trains with stops at New Bongaigaon station and 30,000 commuters would suffer each day for nearly 19 days.

Problems will be compounded as the running of goods trains, carrying essential commodities, will also be hit.

Though goods-laden tru-cks are being escorted by poli-ce, there has been a drastic fall in entry of vehicles through the Chagolia and Srirampur inter-state checkgates.

A transporter said they were plying 35 trucks on an average instead of the usual 100 a day because transporters from other states were not willing to ply during the blockade.

“Escorts are being provided but three to four convoys in a day from 5am to 5pm is time-consuming. A truck takes three days to reach Guwahati from the Chagolia point, so why would truckers ply risking machine, life and money?” a transporter asked.

Bijni sub-divisional police under Chirang district has started providing security to local private buses and facilitating commuters to help them reach Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Goalpara.