Protesters block train tracks on Sealdah-Hasnabad route demanding new station

Residents of the Devipur area, located between Bhyabla and Champa Pukur stations on the Hasnabad-Sealdah branch line, have launched a massive protest, blocking railway tracks and demanding the construction of a new station. The agitation comes after years of persistent but ignored pleas to the authorities. The local community, tired of empty promises and the daily struggle of commuting, has finally taken to the streets to make their voices heard.

For the people of Uttar Devipur, the absence of a nearby station is a major hardship. They are forced to travel a significantly longer distance to catch trains from the more distant stations of Bhyabla and Champa Pukur. This daily inconvenience, which adds considerable time and effort to their commute, has been the primary reason for their long-standing demand. The protesters argue that the construction of a new station in their area is not a luxury but a fundamental necessity.

The demand for a new station has a long and frustrating history, dating back to 2010. The residents have submitted numerous written requests to various authorities, including the Railway Ministry, the General Manager of Eastern Railway, and the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Sealdah Division. This year, in January, a public petition was also sent to the office of the state Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, in a bid to draw her attention to the issue.

Despite these repeated efforts, the locals say they have only received assurances without any tangible action. In 2014, a team of railway officials visited the area for an inspection, but the project stalled afterward. The issue gained some traction again in 2022 when then-MP Nusrat Jahan raised it in Parliament, leading to another survey by the railways in 2024. However, the work again failed to progress, leaving the community in a state of growing despair.

The final straw came when a Right to Information (RTI) application revealed that the railways were still "conducting tests and inspections" for the proposed station, with no completion timeline in sight. This response confirmed the locals' fears that despite decades of requests and multiple surveys, the authorities were yet to make a concrete commitment to the project, fueling the current wave of anger and frustration.