Churulia will have trains, again

Kanchan Siddiqui ASANSOL, 24 FEB 2010: The railway minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee, today promised to retrieve an old railway service (see SNS photo) that got lost to a coal mine in the mid-1980s, after suffering heavy financial losses. She declared during her budget speech that railway services linking Churulia - the birthplace of Kazi Nazrul Islam- would soon be brought into operation. The railway services linking Andal junction with Gaurangadihi under the Eastern Railway were withdrawn in the mid-1980s due to heavy losses. In course of time the railway tracks were uprooted by the iron scrap mafias and the entire railway installation including the tracks had become a state-partnered JV captive coal mine for the West Bengal Power Development Corporation-owned power utilities. Mr Kazi Khairul Anam Siddiqui, a retired land revenue executive and the founder secretary, Churulia Nazrul Academy, brought the matter to the notice of Miss Banerjee. He wrote a letter to Miss Banerjee on 26 October, 2009, proposing the restoration of the old railway services in Churulia. The services on the Andal – Rupnarayanpur – via Ikrah – Churulia railway route were started by the British government in 1872 mainly for transport of coal. Many great personalities including Sir Asutosh Mukherjee, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Shailajananda Mukherjee had travelled in this section several times. Kazi Nazrul's friends used to take this train to go to Churulia, to meet him. In the late 1990s the DRM, Asansol sold the railway track and installation to the coal mine authority. With the railway minister’s budget declaration of retrieving the railway services across Andal – Ikrah – Churulia - Gourangadihi, Mr Siddiqui expressed his happiness. He said: “It is really a dream come true for me and thousands of residents of Jamuria block. It is also to be mentioned that the railway minister did not ignore the appeal which did not require any reference from political leaders.” The DRM, Asansol, Mr BK Gayen inspected Churulia last Monday to help prepare input to the railway ministry.