The Companyganj Cherra State Railway

The Companyganj Cherra State Railway (CCSR) was established by the British in 1886 between Companyganj (now in Sylhet district of Bangladesh) and Cherrapunjee (now in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya). The immediate purpose was to transport limestone to Sylhet. The broader purpose was to link Shillong, the capital of then Assam with Calcutta by rail. Railways existed between Sylhet and Calcutta. The railway line was planned to be extended to Shillong from Cherrapunjee and to Sylhet from Companyganj, but that never materialised. The CCSR was a contemporary of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

The CCSR project was divided into three sections: Companyganj to Tharia, Tharia to Mawsmai and Mawsmai to Cherrapunjee. The first section was the only one to be completely operationalised. The second section to Mawsmai passed through steep slopes of the Cherrapunjee plateau and dense forests. This section was rope hauled and could be used only upto 1891. The last section was never operationalised. The earthquake of 1897 and floods of 1899 destroyed the railway line. The railway line was finally dismantled in 1901. 

My limited knowledge about this railway line ignited the desire in me to explore whatever is left of the railway line. When I came to know about a new campsite near Bholaganj (adjacent to Tharia), I jumped at the opportunity. Ksanboklang is a young, enterprising man from the nearby Sohbar village. Inhabitants of this village are the best informed about the railway line, given the fact that they have preserved the iron rails from the CCSR in the community centre at the village. 

Ksanboklang runs the campsite in the seasonally dry river bed of the Wahrew River, about a one hour drive from the Polo Orchid Resort near Cherrapunjee, just off the Sohra Shella road. The road from Polo Orchid Resort onwards is broken and dusty. Visitors must be prepared for slow progress on the road. The new bridge constructed at the campsite across Wahrew holds promise of better roads. The campsite itself is rocky and sandy. One needs to walk 15 min on the river bed to reach the campsite from the parking lot. A neat row of blue coloured tents adds colour to the area, along with the red bridge. It was nice to see bamboo structures constructed at the campsite for toilet and kitchen. Ksamboklang had given thought to the little things that might be needed. One could just laze around the area, or go for kayaking in the nearby Wahrew river. Bamboo rafts were also available in plenty. The area is a fertile ground for fishing as well. Nearby forests are inviting enough for trekking and birding opportunities. 

I made my intent for visiting the area clear to Ksanboklang and he promised to take me to the railway line the next day. So we set out after breakfast. We went to a nullah near Tharia. In the nullah were two old pillars, overgrown with thick vegetation. Next to one of the pillars was a rusted iron contraption dipping into the water. This was the remnant of the railway line and its bridge. We could see no other trace of the railway line nearby. We walked down to Tharia nearby. Ksanboklang took me to meet the headman of Tharia to try and gather more information of the railway line. He had no idea that such a railway line ever existed there and offered no leads either. We then went to an old man of the village. He was a treasure-house of information. He told us about a bridge that lay towards Bangladesh. However, permission was need from the Border Security Force to visit the area. That was to be for another day. He also told us about a Dakbangla near the highway, which was the headquarters of the CCSR. He told us that the railway line lay buried under the soil and the undergrowth and needs excavation. He showed us some rails and other iron components of the railway line in his compound. He assured us that he would accompany us for further exploration some day. We thanked him and moved back.

Near the start point of the David Scott trail, just a short distance up a slope, we were informed about the spot where the Dakbangla once was. The Dakbangla was demolished during the construction of the highway to Bholaganj. It was sad that a part of heritage was lost thus. However, a local showed us about some remains of the David Scott trail that lay next to the spot. The pathway was unlike what we saw at the David Scott trail. It had some steps. This had to be the railway line. The proximity to the Dakbangla, the alignment with the bridge we had earlier seen and the lack of alignment with the David Scott trail we had explored earlier brought us to this conclusion. This discovery brought us to the end of the explorations for the day. The next trip promised us more information and insights into this undiscovered part of our heritage. The agenda for the next trip was clear- David Scott trail segment from Sohbar to Cherrapunjee and exploring the CCSR with the old man from Tharia.