SHILLONG, Jan 22: The Union Ministry of Railways has made it clear that if Meghalaya is unable to move forward with the proposed railway project soon, then it will be cancelled.
“He (the minister) gave a strong statement and indication that if we are not able to move forward, then this particular project, which runs into thousands of crores of rupees and has a huge economic impact for our state, will have to be cancelled,” said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma who met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently in Delhi.
Stating that Vaishnaw expressed concern on the stalled railway project , Sangma said, “I have made it amply clear to him that we need to take the stakeholders into confidence.”
“The minster understood the subject but he also mentioned that he will be writing a letter to me very soon. If the issue is not resolved one way or the other, then around Rs 200 crore, which has come for land acquisition and has been lying with the DC since 2017, will be asked back. More importantly, this project will be cancelled,” he added.
Sangma said when he sought more time, the Minister did not give any timeframe but said he will be writing to him (Sangma) very soon and if needed, he will come and hold discussions with the stakeholders on the importance of railways.
Railway projects are a very contentious issue in Meghalaya, particularly in the Khasi Hills region. Worried about the influx of people, the pressure groups want the government to put in place a mechanism like Inner Line Permit (ILP) first before the introduction of railway.
The state government is caught in a bind. On one hand, it is under pressure from the Centre to take steps to move the railway project forward while on the other hand, some political parties and the pressure groups stand opposed to railway projects without the ILP or a similar safeguard.
The government has, time and again, stated that it would not move forward with the railway project without taking all stakeholders on board but it has not taken any steps to hold talks with them.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has lamented the lack of response from the Meghalaya government. Stating that the work along the Assam stretch has been almost completed, the NFR has warned that if the government fails to take active steps, it might abandon the project in the Meghalaya sector.
Proposals worth Rs 1,000 core put up with Minority Affairs Ministry
Sangma said he had met Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and put up proposals amounting to over Rs 1,000 crore.
“After we put up the proposals, the minister asked for further clarifications. We will discuss. We are hopeful that some of the projects will go through,” he said.
Talking about his meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Sangma said he discussed the issue of defence land acquisition for the expansion of the Umroi airport so that larger commercial aircraft can land. He said Singh assured to extend the required support.