CHUNIAN - The Railways Department has closed the Changa Manga railway-crossing which is functional for the last 100 years, cutting a lot of people’s link to hospitals and police station here.
The rail crossing is a link between the city and Civil Hospital, Veterinary Hospital, police station, jungle and post office and the link has been closed due to internal conflict between the Highway and the Railway departments. Both the departments are supposed to perform their duty to facilitate the citizens but they have added to the people’s miseries.
Now in order to reach these public places like hospitals, police station and post office, the alternate route is 3-km longer and therefore the citizens have to spend extra-time and money as transportation expenses has risen by 50 percent. Social, civil, political circles have given a reminder to MPA, MNA and highway authorities but the situation has not improved.
No one is panic about the sufferings of the people. Changa Manga is not more than 10-km away from Chunian Cantt and 70-km away from Ganda Singh Wala, the border between Pakistan and India. So, in any emergency situation, the closed railway-crossing can be proved fatal.