BALURGHAT: Tension erupted in the Bongi area of Balurghat on Wednesday evening after residents staged a protest over the construction of an underpass as part of the Hili–Balurghat Railway line expansion project. The agitation forced Railway authorities to halt work temporarily.
Villagers alleged that the underpass is being built far below the existing road level, making it practically unusable. According to them, the area on both sides of the road consists of low-lying marshy land, which remains waterlogged for most of the year. They fear that once the underpass is completed, even light rain will cause severe water accumulation, rendering the only connecting road submerged and impassable.
The road under which the underpass is being constructed connects Balurghat with Chakram and is used daily by residents of nearly 10–12 villages, including Bongi, Noksa, Chakram, Majhigram, Baniyapara, Satrai, Chakramprasad and Chaksam. With no alternative route in place, villagers fear they will be completely cut off if the passage becomes waterlogged.
On Wednesday evening, apprehension turned into agitation as over a hundred villagers gathered at the construction site, stopped the work and launched a protest.
“This is the only road thousands of people use every day. If the underpass is built like this, the entire area will lose connectivity,” said protester Bishwanath Mondal. Echoing the concern, Sudeb Mahanto and Siten Barman added: “Students will suffer the most. Daily movement to schools will become a nightmare. We cannot allow this work to continue in its present form.”
However, Deepak Singh, Manager of the Railway Underpass Construction Division, refuted the allegations. “The underpass is being constructed strictly as per railway guidelines. Pump sets will be used to drain out water wherever needed,” he said.
Singh further complained that despite providing detailed explanations, villagers forcibly halted the construction work.