Guwahati: A division bench of the Gauhati High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by nine shopkeepers challenging the termination of their land licences at Tangla Railway Station. The bench, headed by Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, passed the order on March 9 while hearing the appeal (WA/52/26) filed by traders including Prabin Boro and others. According to court records, the appellants had been occupying railway land near the station for nearly five decades under temporary licence agreements issued by the Northeast Frontier Railway. The licences allowed them to use the land for commercial and residential purposes.
In 2024, railway authorities decided to upgrade and modernise Tangla Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme to improve passenger amenities. As part of the project, the railways invoked a clause in the licence agreement and issued notices terminating the licences and directing the occupants to vacate the land. The traders initially approached civil courts and later filed a writ petition before the High Court seeking to quash the eviction notices and protect their livelihood. They also requested rehabilitation or alternative accommodation, citing their long association with the area.
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However, the High Court observed that the appellants were only temporary licence holders and their occupation of the railway land was governed strictly by the licence terms. The bench held that the railways had the authority to terminate the licences after due notice, especially in view of the station’s redevelopment. The court added that former licence holders may apply for fresh licences if kiosks or commercial spaces are created at the modernised station, subject to railway policy.
