Protest held at Harnagar station demanding Sakri Hasanpur rail project via old route
Residents and local activists gathered at Harnagar station to stage a one-day peaceful protest demanding the completion of the long-awaited Sakri-Hasanpur rail project through its originally approved alignment up to Kusheshwarsthan in Darbhanga district. The demonstration was organized under the banner of the Kusheshwarsthan Dham Rail Project Construction Struggle Committee and was presided over by social worker Madhukant Jha Mintu, drawing participants from various political parties and social organizations.
- Protest held at Harnagar station for the Kusheshwarsthan rail project.
- Locals demand continuation of work on the original rail route.
- Speakers claim a new route will burden public funds and affect farmers.
Concerns over Changing the Rail Alignment
Addressing the gathering, social worker Shankar Kumar Jha stated that abandoning the original rail route from Harnagar to Kusheshwarsthan in favor of a newly proposed alignment is deeply unjust to local farmers and places an unnecessary financial burden on the state exchequer. He pointed out that around 90 percent of the earthwork and the construction of bridges and culverts were already completed along a three-kilometer stretch of the original route.
Speakers at the protest alleged that despite previous progress, authorities are pushing forward with land acquisition and Detailed Project Report (DPR) processes for a new 12-kilometer route. They warned that this deviation would adversely affect thousands of acres of fertile land belonging to farmers and threaten the livelihoods of numerous families in the region.
Call for Speedier Completion and Cost Savings
Committee members emphasized that if the railways officially re-approves the original route and resumes construction, the remaining tasks can be finished in approximately six months, allowing train operations to extend seamlessly up to Hasanpur. They highlighted that sticking to the original alignment would save both valuable time and public funds.
The speakers recalled that connecting Kusheshwarsthan to the railway network has been a long-standing demand of the entire region. They reaffirmed their commitment to continuing an all-party struggle until the original route is restored, fulfilling the vision of developing Baba Kusheshwarnath Dham into a major railway junction, a dream once championed by former railway minister late Lalit Narayan Mishra and former union minister late Ram Vilas Paswan.