Rail link still a pipe dream

SHILLONG, May 28: Centre’s plan to connect all the state capitals in the Northeastern region continues to encounter a stumbling block in Meghalaya in the form of people’s objection to augmenting the state with rail link.
Amid this vehement opposition to the idea of introducing railways in the state, Transport Minister Dasakhiatbha Lamare has asserted that the state cannot stop the Centre from doing anything, even as he pointed out that it cannot also impose any decision on the people.
A section of people fear that introducing railways in the state capital would result in large-scale influx.
He stated that if people consider any project in the state to be impractical, the government has to deliberate over it. “I will have to see what people want and if people do not want it, we have to talk (about it),” Lamare said.
It may be recalled that the Tetelia-Byrnihat railway project in the state has remained suspended since 2017, and since then, the project has made no progress.
Moreover, the Byrnihat-Shillong railway line has also remained a non-starter though survey for the project was done around 8-9 years ago.