Eastern Railway reviews progress in Bishnupur link via Tarakeswar

Kolkata, Aug 21 (IANS) Eastern Railway (ER) carried out an inspection of the Goghat-Kamarpukur-Jairambati section that will connect Bishnupur in the Bankura district to Tarakeswar in Hooghly. This line, once completed, will be an alternate and more convenient route from Kolkata/Howrah to Bishnupur, home to the world-famous Terracotta Temples.

The project hit a roadblock after villagers in Bhabadighi in Goghat launched an agitation against the filling up of a pond. This agitation started in 2017. The matter reached the Calcutta High Court, which ruled in the railways’ favour in 2025. However, there was still a problem with land acquisition, and ER is now constructing a bridge across the pond. The construction work is progressing rapidly.

On Friday, Gitika Pandey, general manager, ER, conducted a comprehensive inspection of the stretch. She was accompanied by Vishal Kapoor, DRM Howrah.

At the Goghat–Kamarpukur–Jairambati section, the GM evaluated the progress of new line construction. At Bhabadighi, she reviewed the project status and interacted with locals.

“She instructed officials to take a compassionate stance toward local community needs. She has directed officials to address public demands by constructing a dedicated road for local residents and providing essential facilities — including electricity, lights, fans, and clean drinking water — for the local school,” an official said.

Pandey also inspected the ongoing Amrit Bharat station work at Tarakeswar.

Bishnupur, a popular tourist destination, can now be reached from Howrah (by rail) via Kharagpur and Midnapore. The total travel distance is about 200 km. The new line via Tarakeswar will bring down the distance to about 140 km.

“There is also a steady flow of people to Kamarpukur and Jairambati that are associated with Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maa Sarada. This can be developed into an entire pilgrimage and tourism circuit. Tourist spots like Mukutmanipur and the Ayodhya Hills are close to Bishnupur,” the official said.

People of the Hooghly district are upbeat about the project as it will provide faster and cheaper connectivity to places in Bankura and Midnapore.

–IANS

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