HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Aug 7: Chetan Kumar Srivastava, General Manager of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), conducted a detailed inspection of the proposed site for a Wagon Periodic Overhauling (POH) Workshop at Basbari in the Alipurduar Division of Assam’s Kokrajhar district.
The inspection marks a significant step toward the execution of a strategically important infrastructure project for the region.
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According to an official statement, the General Manager was accompanied by Uttam Hajowary, Chairman of the TCLCC, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), along with senior officials from the railway administration.
The proposed workshop is planned to have a total capacity of overhauling 250 wagons per month.
In the initial phase, operations will target 75 wagons per month.
With an estimated cost of ₹256.35 crore for Phase I, the project is expected to play a catalytic role in the socio-economic development of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Officials noted that the facility will offer substantial employment opportunities, drive skill development, and foster the growth of local allied industries.
The workshop aims to position BTR as a key logistics and industrial node in Northeast India.
The Basbari POH workshop is to be set up over an expansive area of approximately 2,500 bighas.
Its proximity to key transport nodes—only 1 km from Basbari railway station and 17 km from Rupsi Airport—provides it with robust multimodal connectivity, further enhancing its logistical relevance.
During the site visit, Srivastava underlined the strategic importance of the project in the context of rising freight movement in the region.
With multiple sanctioned infrastructure projects such as new railway lines, doubling of tracks, and multimodal transport corridors currently underway, the workshop is expected to significantly improve the operational efficiency of NFR’s freight services.
He stated that the Basbari workshop is being designed with state-of-the-art facilities, including specialised shops for wagon stripping, body repair, painting, ancillary tasks, and stringent quality control.
The infrastructure will be developed in phases, with the goal of gradually scaling up operations to the full overhaul capacity of 250 wagons per month.
Emphasising the need for timely execution, the General Manager instructed officials to maintain the highest standards of safety, quality, and sustainability throughout the implementation of the project.
He reiterated NFR’s commitment to infrastructure modernisation as a means to support the growing requirements of both passenger and freight operations in the Northeast.
The inspection reflects the railway administration’s strategic intent to strengthen the region’s logistics backbone and integrate it more effectively with national freight corridors.
Once completed, the Basbari POH workshop is expected to not only enhance operational readiness but also contribute meaningfully to regional employment and industrial growth.
