Govt inaction on rail projects irks NFR

SHILLONG, May 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious dream of connecting all the state capitals in the Northeast with the railway network is likely to come crashing down in Meghalaya since the state government appears to be least bothered to even talk about the Tetelia-Byrnihat and Byrnihat-New Shillong railway projects, both of which have been hanging fire for years.
The government’s inaction on the railway projects comes as a surprise, especially after Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma himself admitted that there was pressure on the state government from the Prime Minister to initiate the rail projects.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is miffed with the state government for its lukewarm response on the former’s proposal to discuss the much-delayed railway projects in the state.
An NFR official, on condition of anonymity, said that government officials, especially from the Transport Department, do not seem to be interested in sitting for discussions on resumption of the railway projects.
Attempts by NFR officials to contact the government to discuss the railway projects in the state have met with no success, the official said.
“Most government officials in Meghalaya, barring a few, do not even reply to our letters whenever we write to them inquiring about the status of the railway projects,” the official said.
The NFR official also informed that railway officials will make another effort and approach the chief minister within this month to set up a meeting to discuss the way forward.
While the state government has, time and again, reiterated that it will take all the stakeholders on board before finalising any decision on the railway projects, no effort has actually been made to bring the stakeholders on board.