Buxar: The Zila Dalit Ati Pichhda Swabhiman Sangharsh Morcha has called a rail blockade at 11am on Friday over the continued closure of the Itadhi railway crossing and damage to a railway overbridge, which it says have caused severe hardship to thousands of commuters.The agitation has received support from the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Morcha district convener Saroj Rajbhar said the railway overbridge, built at a cost of Rs26.40 crore, was damaged nearly two months ago, following which the level crossing was closed.He said students, office-goers, patients and senior citizens travelling to and from the Buxar district headquarters have since been forced to take long detours daily.Rajbhar said the organisation had attempted to block railway tracks on July 18, but called off the move after railway officials assured protesters that the issue would be resolved following consultations with senior authorities. However, he alleged that no concrete steps had been taken so far, fuelling public resentment.He also expressed concern that many motorists were using the foot overbridge to cross the railway line because of the closure, increasing the risk of accidents and legal action.Members of the Morcha have been staging an indefinite dharna near the Itadhi railway crossing since Monday. A large number of local residents have joined the protest, with demonstrators saying the agitation will continue until the crossing is reopened.Addressing the dharna earlier, Buxar RJD MP Sudhakar Singh said the closure was causing thousands of people to lose both time and money every day. He urged the district administration and railway authorities to reopen the crossing immediately in the larger public interest.Responding to the protest, Buxar BJP MLA Anand Mishra said the MP should raise the issue with the Railway Minister in Parliament. He alleged that supporting the dharna and the proposed rail blockade amounted to “politics over a public issue”.Mishra said he was pursuing the matter with both the state and central govts to ensure that the Itadhi railway crossing is reopened in the public interest until repairs to the overbridge are completed.When contacted, CPRO, ECR, Hajipur, Saraswati Chandra stated that the Railway security teams are closely monitoring the situation, and they remain on alert.
