This is indeed good news. These have been long overdue. Bhuban -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 7.07AM Subject: [Assam] Rail links to be extended to Kohima & Meghalaya
Rail links to be extended - Kohima, Byrnihat on map NISHIT DHOLABHAI New Delhi, Jan. 17: The railway ministry plans to bring Meghalaya on its map and extend its tracks to Kohima in Nagaland during the eleventh five-year plan, commencing 2007-2008. The ministry has sanctioned two broad-gauge rail link projects — one from Dimapur to Zubza near Kohima and another from New Ajra in Assam to Byrnihat in Meghalaya — in its supplementary budget for the coming fiscal. At present, Nagaland has only one railway station at Dimapur. The Northeast Frontier Railways had announced a survey for the Dimapur-Zubza project more than two years ago, after which an engineering and topographical survey was undertaken. Now that the feasibility of the project has been established, the railway ministry has sanctioned Rs 850 crore for the implementation of the 40-km line and given a go-ahead for the final location survey for the project. Zubza, a village on National Highway 39, is 25 km from Kohima. Sources said the construction of the Dimapur-Zubza project would take at least seven years to be completed after the final survey because of the tough terrain. “Achievement of the long-cherished dream on this route will be a tough challenge for our engineers,” a senior official said. The Naga hills are considered “young” and landslides are common during the monsoon, rendering the task of constructing a railway line more difficult, experts on the issue said. The New Ajra-Byrnihat line, to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore, will directly connect Meghalaya, to New Delhi. The North Bank of the Brahmaputra will also be connected through railways by the end of the eleventh plan, which would mean a possible rail link to Itanagar for which the Arunachal Pradesh government has been pressing the Centre. With these projects coming up, only Mizoram will be left unconnected by rail. The Centre has already begun work on the Jiribam-Imphal track, which will connect Manipur by rail. The link line to Agartala in Tripura is nearing completion, sources said. The Planning Commission’s prime objective during the eleventh plan would be to break the sense of isolation prevalent in the Northeast. Railway ministry officials said several projects would come up in the region over the next three five-year plans in future. To meet its objective, the Centre is considering attracting investments in the infrastructure sector, especially the railways. Want to start your own business? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
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