Guv to write to govt on stalled rail project

SHILLONG: Governor Ganga Prasad will write to the state government on the delay in the Byrnihat railway project.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) recently took up the matter of halting of the project in the state with the governor after failing to get an audience with Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.
An NFR official said they apprised the governor about the present status of the railway project that was stalled in July following violent protests by pressure groups in Ri Bhoi.
The state government had vowed to dispel misgivings before resumption of work.
According to the officials, NFR has also tried to seek an appointment with chief minister Mukul Sangma but did not get one till date.
“There is no clarity on the part of the state government as to when the work will resume. The contractor has already walked out of the project since he had to face heavy losses after his equipment were burnt on two occasions,” said an NFR official.
The governor told the delegation that he would write to the state government on the matter.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has also not given no objection certificate for the project from Byrnihat to Lailad, a village around 17 km from Byrnihat.
The cost of the proposed 20.5-km railway line linking Tetelia in Assam and Byrnihat in Ri Bhoi is estimated around Rs 496 crore. The length of the track in Meghalaya is just 2.5 km.