A project to set up a new railway bridge on river Brahmani has come to a halt following sheer unwillingness of the farmers at Birbhum’s Jagdhari village in the Nalhati I block area to part with their land. The farmers have already informed that they will not provide any land without a permanent job in the railways for each one of them. A railway bridge on river Brahmani was damaged by flood waters in 2000. Later, the Eastern Railway authorities proposed to set up a new bridge. Nearly five acres of land was required to build the new bridge. So the railway authorities marked out the required land last year. The farmers claimed that the railway authorities assured them to provide a job in railways with special compensation as per market value of land. “The existing market rate of land is Rs 3 lakh per bigha. But the railway authorities proposed to provide only Rs 60,000 per bigha. On the other hand, we have not got any job assurance from the authorities yet,” said a farmer. In March, the farmers formed the Jagdhari Krishi Jami Bachao Committee to resist the work of the railways. Later, the block administration convened a meeting to resolve the problem. But, it was in vain. On Tuesday the district administration finally tried to make the farmers understand the need to have their land to set up the new railway bridge. However, the villagers did not relent. “We have tried to resolve the problem. But, the farmers want a job in the railways first and then they will provide their land. So, the meeting was inconclusive. We shall send a report to the railways in this regard,” said Mr Soumitra Mohan, district magistrate, Birbhum. The railway authorities were also present at the meeting. They failed to fulfil the demand of the farmers. “We can’t go here and there for a job after providing land to the railways. So, we claimed the job first before parting with our land,” said Mr Sailaja Kanta Dutta, one of the unwilling farmers. snehamoy chakraborty