The Janasarokar Abhiyan has submitted a 10-point memorandum to Nepal Railway Company Managing Director Paribesh Parajuli, demanding immediate measures to address problems faced by passengers using the railway service.
A team led by the campaign's chairperson, Jitendra Mahaseth, handed over the memorandum to Parajuli at the company's office in Janakpurdham on Wednesday.
The memorandum calls for the immediate resumption of freight services, regular cleaning of railway stations and platforms, and proper management of well-equipped passenger waiting halls. It also demands urgent repairs to damaged platform infrastructure, the development of gardens in vacant spaces, and proper management and regular operation of drinking water facilities and toilets.
Similarly, it has called for the repair and reuse of electrical equipment and other facilities that have remained out of operation for a long time.
Chairperson Mahaseth said Janakpurdham, a city of religious, historical and cultural significance, deserved a well-managed and modern railway service that reflected its importance.
He said the campaign had drawn the railway administration's attention to the issue through the memorandum at a time when preparations were under way to operate a railway service between Ayodhya in India and Janakpurdham under the Ramayana Circuit initiative.
Mahaseth warned that the existing condition of Janakpur railway station could send a negative message internationally as religious tourism initiatives were being promoted.
He pointed out that Janakpurdham is not only a major centre of Hindu faith but also widely recognised across the world as the birthplace of Goddess Sita and the place where Lord Ram and Sita were married.
As the railway station serves as the first point of entry for many religious tourists and pilgrims visiting the city, special attention should be paid to its maintenance and management, he said.
He also stressed that leaving completed infrastructure unused would waste public investment and called for its proper utilisation and maintenance.
The campaign has also sent a copy of the memorandum to the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
The Janakpurdham-Jayanagar railway service has a history dating back to 1936. Although the service was suspended for several years due to various reasons, the railway line was upgraded to broad gauge with the support of the Indian Government at the initiative of the Government of Nepal. The service resumed on April 2, 2022.
