The general manager of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, held a review meeting in Siliguri yesterday with Members of Parliament (MPs) representing constituencies served by the Alipurduar and Katihar divisions of NFR.

The meeting was attended by MPs from West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, and Sikkim and focused on ongoing and upcoming railway projects, passenger amenities, and improving connectivity in the region.

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During the meeting, the general manager provided updates on various developmental, new line, and survey works in the Alipurduar and Katihar divisions. He invited suggestions and feedback from the MPs to further enhance railway services and amenities. Updates were shared on festival special trains operated for devotees in the region, the successful implementation of the intrusion detection system to prevent train accidents involving elephants, and the introduction of QR code machines at ticket counters to facilitate cashless transactions in line with the ‘Digital India’ initiative. The general manager also briefed the MPs on the progress of electrification, doubling, and new line projects and the redevelopment of stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

The MPs emphasised the need for extending railway connectivity, enhancing passenger amenities, and upgrading station facilities. They also raised requests for new services and additional stoppages to better serve their constituencies. Senior railway officials from the Alipurduar and Katihar divisions, as well as the NFR Headquarters, participated in the discussions.

The meeting was attended by Lok Sabha MPs Tariq Anwar (Katihar), Rajesh Ranjan (Purnia), Pradeep Kumar Singh (Araria), Dr Jayanta Kumar Roy (Jalpaiguri), Md. Rakibul Hussain (Dhubri), Manoj Tigga (Alipurduar), Kartick Chandra Paul (Raiganj), and Joyanta Basumatary (Kokrajhar). Rajya Sabha MPs Dorjee Tshering Lepcha (Sikkim) and Nagendra Ray (Cooch Behar) were also present.

The general manager assured the MPs that their suggestions and requests would be reviewed with utmost importance while formulating future proposals. He stated that the deliberations during the meeting would play a significant role in finalising railway development plans aimed at benefiting the people of the region.