Railway Board forms committee to study feasibility of creating three new divisions

Being a new railway division would mean more employment in the region, or more development and better train services?

The Indian Railways’ operations are currently divided in 18 zones, which are further sub-divided into 68 divisions

New Delhi (PTI) : Five years after new division were announced for Jammu, Gulbarga and Silchar, the Railway Board has formed a committee to study their feasibility, according to an official order.

Currently, Jammu is under the jurisdiction of Ferozpur division of the Northern Railway, and if Jammu becomes a division it will be the first Railway Division in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gulbarga in Karnataka is in the Pallakad division of Southern Railway and Assam’s Silchar is in Lumding division of Northeast Frontier Railway.

The committee, comprising senior railway officials, has been given the mandate to analyse and review afresh, the feasibility, financial implications, administrative issues, infrastructural availability for creating the new divisions and submit a report by the month-end.

According to an internal source of the Railway Board, the cost of infrastructure for creating a new zone is around ₹205 crore while creating a new division will cost the national transporter around ₹29 crore.

These figures exclude extra costs of relating to creating or upgradation of posts, transfer, posting of staff and other such expenditures.

Being a new railway division would mean more employment in the region, or more development and better train services?