Railway Tracks Washed Away, Severely Damaged Amid Assam Floods

Infrastructure of Indian Railway was too severely damaged during the current wave of devastating floods, which had created havoc in the eastern Assam districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat.Railway tracks were washed away due to which rail services had been hit in a major way under Tinsukia Railway division of North East Frontier Railway.Two weeks after the floods which hit the tracks on July 19, Railway engineers and workers are struggling hard to restore the devastated Railway tracks under the strict supervision of the higher authorities in Tinsukia Division.We visited one such section where restoration work is currently underway in Sivasagar district whereas railways had deployed man and machines to restore the track as early as possible.On the other hand, repair work is progressing rapidly on the railway track between Simulguri Junction and Lakwa Station in Charaideo district, which was washed away by the devastating floodwaters.Local residents are hopeful that train services on this route will resume soon, however as per railways it will another 3 weeks time for the damaged tracks to be restored. It may be recalled that at around 9:45 p.m. on 19 July, sudden floodwaters from the Dikhow and Diraka rivers inundated the entire area. Within a short time, the overflowing water swept across the railway line, washing away 800 metres of track.The disaster created a terrifying situation for local residents. Many people suffered heavy losses, and several lost their lives. The flood severely affected several villages, including Lonpuriya, Bhotorbari, Darikiyal, Gomotha, and Abhayapuriya, causing widespread damage to homes, property, and infrastructure.