By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 21: Cabinet minister Alexander Laloo Hek on Monday said letting the railways come to Meghalaya would benefit the poor people in the state.
His assertion assumes significance with the pressure groups continuing to oppose the railways while the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has refused to give a no-objection certificate for the project.
“Railway is a cheaper form of travelling in today’s world and people for a few hundreds and thousands of rupees can travel to far-flung areas of the country,” Hek, a senior BJP leader, told reporters here on Monday.
He said the prices of goods are higher in Meghalaya because they are brought by roadways in the absence of railways.
“We should not stop any kind of development,” he said, adding that states like Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh are now getting connected with railways.
“I don’t understand what the problem in connecting Meghalaya with railways is,” Hek said.
The Northeast Frontier Railway had plans to connect Shillong with railways via Byrnihat but the project has been stalled by pressure groups that fear train services would encourage large-scale influx into the state.
Hek also said Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act is a far better mechanism than the inner-line permit. “The Act will empower the Dorbar Shnongs for keeping tabs on people coming to their localities,” he added.
