Guwahati: Twice homeless, twice in danger, and twice in fear — the flood-hit families are now forced to live between the roar of trains and the disturbing memory of rising waters.For nearly a month, the railway track has become both refuge and peril for around two dozen flood-hit Adivasi and indigenous families in Sivasagar’s Betbari Alimur No. 2 Konwargaon. After floodwaters swallowed their homes on July 19, they found shelter on the elevated tracks — only to face a second wave of danger when train services resumed last week.Children, elderly members, and cattle remain camped on the tracks, their makeshift shelters trembling each time a train passes.Some families have returned to their partially flooded homes, but for Adivasi girl Mainu Rai, the railway track still feels safer. It’s close to their houses and offers space for cattle — unlike govt relief shelters. “Elderly people love their cattle more than their lives,” Mainu said. “My mother chose the railway track over relief shelters because the cattle could graze there. But now that trains have started running again, we’re scared,” Mainu told TOI on Monday.In Sivasagar, one of the worst flood-hit districts in upper Assam, many families have chosen railway tracks and roads over relief camps to keep their cows, goats, ducks, and chickens nearby. “Children and elderly people may not notice trains at night and could stray onto the tracks — it’s terrifying,” Mainu added.Every day, she and her brother wade back to their half-submerged home to clean and wash clothes, returning to the track for lunch and dinner with their parents. “It will take several more days for the water to recede completely,” she said, adding that they visit their homes during the day to protect them from theft.Prabin Gowala, a driver, has also been living on the railway track with his Class IX daughter and Class VII son. “I fear for my children’s safety, but the foul smell after the flood has made our home uninhabitable,” he said.Activist and lawyer Krishna Gogoi criticised the administration for failing to ensure the safety of families living in high-risk zones. “People have been living on rail tracks for nearly a month, exposed to accidents. Those staying on roads, highway dividers, and railway lines face similar risks. The administration has shown no urgency in shifting them to safer places,” Gogoi said.The families live between Mohkhuti and Sivasagar, where train services resumed more than a week ago. Railway officials allowed them to stay on humanitarian grounds, despite it being normally prohibited.“On humanitarian grounds, we allowed people to put up shelters on the rail track in Sivasagar,” said NF Railway CPRO KK Sharma. “We also installed lights to prevent accidents at some locations. Hopefully, all families will return home in the next few days,” the officer added.
