BAHAWALNAGAR-Thanks to negligence, ineptitude or vested interest of the people at the helm of affairs, once thriving Bahawalnagar Railway Junction has decayed and now bitten the dust.
According to official accounts, the British government had established the railway junction after each 100-mile distance where the trains' engines would be changed and re-fuelled.
Bahawalnagar Junction was initially established as Rojhanwali railway junction in 1894, which was later renamed as Bahawalnagar junction in1901 by Nawab Bahawal V. Then the Bahawalnagar Railway Junction was one of the important junctions of the Subcontinent.
The rails connected the area with Karachi and Delhi. The trains from Karachi to Dehli, Bhatinda would pass through the track. It was utilised for the transportation of staff and their belongings in 1947 from India to Karachi.
State railway lines were given the names of "Darbar lines". Their expenditures were borne by state concerned. The 112km Darbar line of Bahawalpur State was laid down between Bahawalnagar and Fortabbas in 1928. On the track, grain markets of Khichiwala, Faqirwali, Haroonabad and Donga Bonga were established. But unfortunately, the rail service on the track was suspended in 2002.
Bahawalnagar Railway Junction was closed in 1935 when dozens of trains moved from Karachi to Delhi and Lahore via Ferozpur, Amrooka, Bahawalnagar and Samma Satta.
Hustle and bustle round the clock was the permanent feature of the junction at that time. In 1938, a power station was set up which generated DC power. It was well developed and well equipped with all rail facilities in those days.
The splendour of the railway junction lasted till 1980, when 16 trains pass through the track. But gone are the days, when the people thronged the junction to enjoy the rail service. As train service from Samma Satta to Amroka was suspended on July 26, 2011, while train service from Bahawalnagar to Fortabbas had already been suspended in 2002. The people of the area are not only deprived of the facility but also suffer great hardship to move to Karachi from Bahawalnagar. Besides, the splendid shades of the historic Junction have also withered and it wears deserted look due to the neglect of the government.
Frequently, the people of the area demanded the restoration of rail service but their clamouring were paid no heed. Anwar Matloob, a citizen working for the restoration of the train service, expressed his grief over the pitiable situation and said that despite verbal commitments of quarters concerned, the train service has not been restored yet which is quite deplorable. The train service should be restored at the earliest in the best interest of people of Bahawalnagar, he demanded.