SHILLONG: The United Democratic Party (UDP) has reiterated its opposition to railways in Meghalaya as this is not in sync with the demographic profile of the State.
UDP general secretary Paul Lyngdoh said while the party would not mind goods train till Byrnihat it is averse to the idea of passenger trains.
“We have maintained that the demographic structure of the State comes first and any form of development should be in sync with the need to maintain the demographic profile of a state,” said Lyngdoh.
The UDP leader said the border town of Byrnihat can benefit from entry of goods train and become a commercial hub like Dimapur in Nagaland. “We also have to think in terms of ecology and greenery and we certainly do not favour passenger trains.”
The railway projects have been vehemently opposed by NGOs and political parties who fear that these would lead to large-scale influx into the State and change its demographic profile.
The Byrnihat-Shillong railway project has remained a non-starter while work along the Tetelia-Byrnihat project is going on at a snail’s pace.
