Activists of the National Democratic Liberation Front protest against the eviction drive. Picture by Avijit Sarkar

Siliguri, Nov. 7: The Northeast Frontier Railways authorities today undertook a massive eviction drive to remove encroachments at Siliguri Town Station.

They met with stiff resistance from the Town Station Footpath Byabsayi Samiti (TSFBS) affiliated to the National Democratic Liberation Front (NDLF).

Around 150 shops, most of them selling fruits and clothes and which had come up on railway land, were pulled down as part of the drive that began around 8 am.

“We had given repeated warnings to these people to remove the unauthorised structures they had constructed in the area. We had also issued a notice to them a few days ago to vacate the area by today,” said Kanik Kumar Biswas, circle inspector, government railway police, Siliguri.

“This action is being taken mainly to beautify the town of Siliguri. Work on converting metre gauge tracks to broad gauge at the town station is about to start. After that is completed, parking space will be required for the vehicles that come to receive passengers of the trains that arrive there,” said Biswas.

“Trains like Mahananda Express and Darjeeling Mail will come to the station after gauge conversion is over. It will make it easier for the passengers to get off at the town station rather than at New Jalpaiguri, which is on the outskirts of Siliguri,” he added.

Stiff resistance followed the eviction drive from the TSBS, which blocked the tracks at Siliguri Junction. A passenger train was stalled for about 40 minutes.

“We let the train move only at the request of the railway officials. We are not against the removing of the shops from this area. But we want new land allotted for these people before they are driven away,” said Govind Chatterjee, president, NDLF.

“These people have been here for almost 25 years. There are a lot of people who are dependent on the shops,” he added. Chatterjee also accused the government of not being able to help the “downtrodden people”.

Around 300 people of the area demonstrated at the office of the ADRM and area manager at New Jalpaiguri around 12.30 pm. “We have submitted a memorandum to the railway officials as the ADRM was not available at the time. We have put forward a demand to the railway authorities to give another plot of land to the shopkeepers. The railway officials have said they will let us know by tomorrow,” said Chatterjee.

“The eviction drive was done mainly because of the upcoming gauge conversion due to start from December,” said a railway official.

“We have referred their demands to the higher authorities and there are certain modalities required to be fulfilled. However, a land will only be given to them if the railway should also benefit from the transaction,” he added.