Buried 120 yrs under sands of time, fraying paper puts Bhander’s rly dream back on track | Bhopal News
BHOPAL: Written and published 120 years ago, it lay as a yellowing and forgotten scrap of paper, buried in the sands of time. However, the old document, dating back to the Gwalior Riyasat era, proposing a railway link between Jhansi and Bhind, is now driving a public campaign for a connectivity push at Bhander in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district, one that locals believe could also open up new commercial opportunities.Mentioned in a 1905-06 railway gazette from the Gwalior Riyasat era and preserved in a 1996 reprint, the fraying document was found among the papers in possession of former minister and Congress MLA Keshari Chowdhary (80), who obtained the reprint while raising a question in the assembly in 1996.Chowdhary confirmed that the document clearly mentions a proposed Jhansi-Bhind railway line. “I received a copy of the reprint of the old gazette of 1905, which was reprinted in 1996 during an assembly reply. It clearly mentions a proposed Jhansi-Bhind railway line,” Chowdhary told TOI.The discovery has given fresh momentum to a citizen-driven push for railway connectivity that began as informal discussions among traders, youth and other residents about Bhander’s lack of public transport.A ‘Rail Lao Abhiyan’ has now convened two meetings, with residents planning village-to-village outreach and formation of a committee to take the demand forward.“Bhander is growing into a big town and there are several places of religious significance nearby. Every month, about 20,000-25,000 people come visiting this place, but public transport leaves plenty to be desired. After 4.30pm, there is hardly any commuting option apart from private vehicles if you want to travel outside Bhander,” Manish Poddar, a 51-year-old foodgrain trader, told TOI.He said traders had initially discussed a railway link between Chirgaon and Datia, which would have put Bhander on the national railway network. “Then we found the old gazette. It showed that the railway line proposed earlier could be more viable for Bhander,” Poddar said.Bhander is also a foodgrain warehousing hub but lacks a railway loading facility, Poddar said, estimating that such a facility could potentially generate Rs 25 crore to Rs 50 crore in railway revenue.Yuvraj Chowdhary (45), son of the former Congress minister, said the document has changed the campaign’s course. “The demand was put forward very casually for a start, with only a few people discussing it. However, more people joined with time, turning into a public campaign. Initially, we were discussing a separate railway line. But after chancing upon the old document, we realised that the line it proposes is significantly better and more feasible for Bhander. We are now in the process of generating greater public awareness about it,” Yuvraj said.The campaign is being projected as a non-political citizen initiative. “More than 800 people have joined our cause through our social media groups and at least 100-150 are actively pursuing it. Now we will meet and take it up with our local MP (BJP’s Sandhya Ray from Bhind Lok Sabha constituency),” Poddar said.The second campaign meeting could see further intensification of village-level outreach before the movement’s next course is set.
