SHILLONG, May 6: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways on Friday stressed that more areas of Meghalaya need to be connected with the railway.
The committee, which is headed by Radha Mohan Singh, said despite Meghalaya being a cement producer, India is required to import cement from Bangladesh. The committee held a meeting with the officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and the state government in Shillong to discuss the delay in completing some railway projects in the state.
According to a railway official, when the committee asked the officials why the state government is not giving land for the projects, the NFR told it that the pressure groups are opposing the projects. To this, the committee asked if discussions were held with these groups. “The committee was told the NGOs are demanding the implementation of ILP (inner line permit),” the official said.
The NFR apprised the committee that funds for the proposed projects and land acquisition have been already handed over to the state government.
The work to bring all state capitals of the Northeast, barring Shillong, on the railway map is going on in full swing. The pressure groups in Meghalaya are opposed to railway projects due to the fear over influx of illegal migrants.
