Dimapur: The Nagaland Tree Planters’ Association (NTPA) has called on the Government of Nagaland to immediately launch an impartial eviction drive to reclaim encroached land belonging to Dimapur Railway Station.
In a statement, the association commended the recent government-led eviction drive at Diphupar, which aimed to recover encroached airport land, and urged similar action to safeguard railway infrastructure. “In the same spirit, the NTPA now calls for the government’s immediate and unflinching intervention in addressing the long-neglected but pressing issue of land encroachment in and around Dimapur Railway Station,” the statement read.
According to the NTPA, vast portions of railway-compensated land around Dimapur Railway Station have been unlawfully occupied by private individuals and businesses. The association pointed to unauthorized multi-storey buildings, commercial godowns, petrol pumps, and religious institutions that have come up on land officially acquired for railway purposes.
While reiterating its respect for all faiths, the NTPA maintained that public infrastructure must not be compromised by unauthorized religious or commercial use. It stressed that such encroachments are undermining development plans and the integrity of public assets.
The NTPA also drew attention to the loss of the former railway loading point near the old Dimapur Town Committee office. Once a critical hub for public goods movement, especially during the 1980s and 1990s, the site has reportedly been overtaken by illegal structures—erasing what the NTPA described as a “strategic national asset.”
With Dimapur Railway Station slated for major upgradation to a first-class station, the association underscored the need for urgent action.
“With the Dimapur Railway Station poised for major upgradation to a first-class station, the urgency to reclaim every inch of encroached land cannot be overstated. The time to act is now,” the NTPA stated.
It called on the state government to undertake “a comprehensive, impartial and time-bound eviction drive targeting all illegal constructions on railway-compensated land and adjacent public property.”
Describing its appeal as one that transcends politics, religion, and regional considerations, the NTPA asserted that reclaiming public land is essential to protect infrastructure, the environment, and future development.
“The people of Nagaland deserve better, Dimapur deserves better. And the law deserves to be enforced without fear or favour,” the association concluded.
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