No ILP, no railways: JSU to govt

By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 11: A day after the state government expressed in clear terms that it is in no mood to drop the idea of introducing railways in the state, the Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) declared on Wednesday that all efforts by the state government on this will be in vain until and unless ILP is first implemented in Meghalaya.
“We stand to oppose it (railways) unless ILP is implemented and proper road construction and development in the district is not done,” JSU general secretary Treibor R Suchen said.
Strong opposition to the plan to build trains in Shillong has forced the government to consider the possibility of building a railway connection to Khliehriat in the East Jaintia Hills.
However, the administration has not had it easy in East Jaintia Hills.
Suchen stated that although the administration has stated that it is attempting to get in touch with the Jaintia Hills stakeholders over the issue, they have not received a response from the government as of yet.
When asked if the organisation would support calling for negotiations, he responded, “We cannot say anything. Our true desire is for the government to pursue ILP first; they should first discuss and work with the Centre to put ILP into practise before we discuss railways.”
“Any government efforts to introduce railways will be fruitless until and unless ILP is introduced in the state first,” he continued.
The administration seems unwaveringly committed to seeing that the concept of trains in Khasi and the Jaintia Hills region comes to pass, even in the face of persistently expressed resistance to the idea of rail-linking various sections of Meghalaya.
Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Transport, Sniawbhalang Dhar had previously stated that the state administration is still making efforts to communicate with different stakeholders.
He asserted that it is the government’s responsibility to raise awareness of the significance of establishing railroads in the area.
It should be noted that the various pressure organisations are fighting the railways tooth and nail, with the KSU leading the charge.