GUJRAT: Scores of the residents of Malakwal and Pind Daden Khan tehsils of Mandi Bahauddin and Jhelum districts, respectively, on Tuesday blocked the railway track for a train near Chak Nizam by staging a sit-in against the closure of the Victoria Bridge track by Pakistan Railways authorities meant for bikers and pedestrians.

The protesters have been agitating for the last two consecutive days against the closure of the bridge’s separate track for more than two years that was used by motorcyclists and pedestrians belonging to the two tehsils to cross the River Jhelum.

Because of the closure of the track the daily commuters have been forced to cross the river on boats by paying hefty fares to boatmen to reach the other side.

Some of the protesters said that since the track’s closure by the PR authorities they had to pay Rs50 daily as fare for a motorbike and Rs20 for a person to the boat owners who, they alleged were running the business in connivance with the railway officials concerned by sharing their income amounting to millions per month with them.

The track was closed when some people had fallen into the river while crossing it because of the dilapidated wooden planks on it. Around a year ago, the PR had replaced the old wooden planks on the track with iron sheets for the safety by it was not opened for the commuters.

On Tuesday, scores of locals gathered at Chak Nizam and stopped the Malakwal to Pind Daden Khan train by blocking the track for more than an hour.

Some of the students daily commuting between the two tehsils had removed the iron rods installed at the two ends of the track on Monday the last, but the PR authorities again installed the barriers. During the Tuesday agitation, the protesters again removed these barriers.

The protesters chanted slogans against railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and information minister Fawad Chaudhry, since Pind Daden Khan had been a part of the latter’s constituency, for ignoring their demand.

On being informed of the situation emerging following blocking of the train by the protesters, assistant commissioners of Bhera (Sargodha district) and Pind Daden Khan (Jhelum), along with a senior officer from the Lalamusa railway junction, arrived at the scene to resolve the issue.

After holding negotiations with the protesters, the officers ordered opening of the track for bikers and pedestrian following which the train was allowed to chug.

The historic Victoria railway bridge has been the main link between the two teshils.

The successive governments have been announcing construction of an asphalt and concrete bridge over the river near Chak Nizam during the last around five decades but the project could not be initiated.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2019