Rail project awaits KHADC NOC for land

SHILLONG: The Byrnihat-Shillong rail project will be further delayed as the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is yet to issue NOC for acquisition of land.
Indicating this here on Friday, a Northeast Frontier Railway official said that the file, which has been cleared by the revenue department, is awaiting approval of the KHADC chief.
The official also informed that the railways had sought 184 hectares of land for the construction of the rail line  from Byrnihat to Lailad , a village around  17 kilometers from Byrnihat.
“The survey for the project is almost completed and the survey of the remaining five-kilometre stretch would resume once the monsoon season is over,” the official said.
Reacting to a query about the Tetelia-Byrnihat project, the official said the Assam government has delayed handing over some portion of its land to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and this has affected the overall progress of the project.
The deadline for the Tetelia-Byrnihat is March 2018, but the official hoped that they would be able to complete the project ahead of time if the land is handed over to the NFR at the earliest.