Modi to inaugurate Dudhnoi-Medipathar railway link
Guwahati: The Centre aims to complete 34 various ongoing projects of Indian Railways in the northeast over the next 5-6 years that will entail an additional investment of around Rs 35,000 crore. “My focus is to complete the ongoing projects and not to announce any new one. We have 34 different projects going on in the northeast with an estimated total cost of around Rs 54,000 crore,” Railways Minister Sadananda Gowda said on Tuesday. “The remaining work of the projects will be completed in the next 5-6 years and funds will be allotted in coming years,” he added.
The total ongoing projects of laying new tracks and gauge conversion is 4,517 km as on April 1 this year, of which only 1,889 km have been commissioned.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the newly-constructed, Dudhnoi ( Assam) — Medipathar (Meghalaya) and Harmoti (Assam)—Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh), at a date convenient to him, according to Gowda.
Gowda who was here to review the on-going projects of the Railways in Northeast, said on Tuesday that capitals of all the seven Northeastern states of the country would be put on the Indian Railways map within five years.
As on date capital cities of Guwahati in Assam and Agartala in Tripura are connected through the railway while capitals of the rest five N-E states have remained off the railway network.
Regarding problems of security and law and order typical of the N-E region which may throw up hurdles in timely completion of railway projected, Gowda said, “ Law and order is a subject dealt in by the state governments and I am optimistic that problems, if any, can be well sorted out across the negotiation table.”
Gowda said the Railway Budget for 2014-15 has allotted Rs 5,400 crore for carrying out the ongoing projects and it was 54 per cent higher than the previous year. ”Our target is to complete construction of 450 km this year compared to 310 km in last year,” he said
Out of the amount, about Rs 20,000 crore has already been spent according to Northeast Frontier Railway as on March 31, 2014. These on-going projects include 21 new lines, seven gauge conversion and six double-tracks.
The minister informed that the railway would complete the gauge conversion work in Lumding-Silchar section of the NF Railway within six months beginning October this year.
The present meter-gauge track along this section would be rendered out of use from September 30 next. The Railway budget this year has allocated Rs 5400 crore for the Northeastern region.
Gowda said due to ban in coal mining in Meghalaya, Railways will lose Rs 50 crore of revenue annually.
An estimated Rs 100 crore revenue would be lost due to mega blocks gauge during conversion of Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar and Badarpur-Agartala routes. “Within the next six months, gauge conversion work will be completed,” he said.
Regarding the under construction rail-cum-road bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra River in Dibrugarh district of Assam, Gowda said the bridge was expected to be ready for use by June, 2017 as works are going on in the right speed.
The minister on Tuesday visited the busy Guwahati Railway Station, the biggest one in the region, to take stock of passenger amenities, catering services, conditions of platforms, safety measures etc.
He expressed satisfaction about the state of affairs in Guwahati railway station where he talked to passengers also. (With inputs from (PTI)