SHILLONG, Feb 14: After recent opposition to the introduction of railways in Meghalaya by the People’s Democratic Front (PDF), BJP MLA and former Cabinet Minister, AL Hek, has thrown his weight behind the idea of connecting Meghalaya with railways.
Hek on Monday said that he supports the introduction of railways in the state as any developmental projects should be supported. He said that the railways would bring a lot of economical benefits besides generating job for the youths of the state.
When asked about the perception that railways would bring influx into the state, Hek said that there are many laws to protect the indigenous communities and those laws should be further strengthened to check influx into the state.
It may be mentioned that the KHADC recently had refused to give the no-objection certificate to the Tetelia-Byrnihat railway line project and even the PDF had opposed the introduction of goods as well as passengers trains in the state in the absence of a mechanism to check influx into the state.
Notably, the North East Frontier Shillong has been working on Tetelia-Byrnihat railway line for some time and while the project is nearing its completion in Assam sector, the project has not made any progress in Meghalaya.