Guwahati, June 16: Restoration work by NF Railway in the landslide-ravaged hill district of Dima Hasao in central Assam is underway in full swing in 15 critical locations while 46 out of the 61 breaches have been repaired.
“With restoration work underway on a war footing, there are chances of resumption of train services up to New Haflong from Badarpur by June 20,” NFR general manager Anshul Gupta informed mediapersons here.
It may be recalled that heavy torrential rains coupled with massive landslides had affected around 85 km of railway track in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section of Lumding division since the second week of May.
Breaches had occurred at more than 61 locations in this section, resulting in the disruption of rail communication to the hilly states of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and parts of Assam.
“NF Railway is carrying out speedy restoration work in the entire hill section with an aim to restart services by July 10, 2022. The weather in this region is still fierce, but the intensity of rainfall has lessened. Even in such weather, thousands of workers and hundreds of machines are working day and night in this area under the supervision of railway officials. The entire stretch from Badarpur to Jatinga Lumpur has already been restored,” a statement said.
NFR authorities with co-ordination and co-operation of different organisations have geared up for early restoration to bring the hill section’s railway connectivity back on track.
Officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway are working relentlessly to restore communication as early as possible for the affected population of the cut-off region.
Gupta thanked Indian Air Force, railway employees, roadways service and private bus operators in rescuing the stranded passengers and sending them back to their homes safely.
The NFR official also briefed the media about the status of the state capital connectivity projects and the international connectivity projects under Northeast Frontier Railway.
“The recently sanctioned final location survey for the Chandranathpur-Silchar new line project will provide an alternative route to the hill section and also act as a double line for connectivity to South Assam, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura,” he informed.