By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 25: Tura Lok Sabha member Saleng A. Sangma has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to develop infrastructure at the Mendipathar Railway Station and enhance connectivity by introducing long-distance and express train services from the only railway station in Meghalaya.
In a petition to the Prime Minister and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the MP stated that the Mendipathar Railway Station has only one platform to serve the entire state’s railway needs and only two passenger trains operate daily, connecting Mendipathar to Guwahati.
He said that vistadome train services between Kolkata and Mendipathar should be introduced to promote tourism and provide a scenic travel experience through the beautiful landscapes of Northeast India.
He also sought superfast train connections between Mendipathar and Kanyakumari, Mendipathar and Mumbai, and Mendipathar and New Delhi for administrative, educational, and commercial purposes.
Sangma also requested an urgent comprehensive survey to be undertaken without delay for goods train connectivity for the transportation of raw materials, agricultural produce, and wealth creation.
According to the Congress MP, efficient transportation of raw materials will boost industry, and the agricultural sector will benefit from better market access, besides generating employment through improved trade and commerce.
Expansion of Baljek Airport
Eighteen years after former Pratibha Patil inaugurated it, the Baljek Airport located at Jengjal on the outskirts of Tura has remained non-functional. Today, it is being used as a venue for music festivals.
Sangma said he is pushing hard for the expansion of the airport to accommodate larger aircraft.
The airport can operate 20-seater aircraft under the UDAN scheme, but Sangma believes it has the potential to handle bigger planes with some renovation and expansion.
He said he has written to the Prime Minister and the Civil Aviation Minister to expand the airport to facilitate the landing of ATR72 aircraft at least. He pointed to a memorandum of understanding the Meghalaya government inked with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on May 6 to make the airport operational.
Sangma said that the Meghalaya government did not acquire a license for Baljek Airport before signing the agreement with the AAI. “Baljek was a state airport and not under AAI,” he said.
“I don’t know how they (Meghalaya government) brought our (former) president Pratibha Patil that time…without any proper license to land,” he added.
The Congress MP stated that the state government signed the MoU only to operate 20-seater aircraft, belying the expectations of the people. He insisted the Baljek Airport will be similar to the airport in Lakshadweep with a little bit of expansion and renovation.
The state government spent more than Rs 3.57 crore to acquire 153 acres of land from 1986-89 and another 58 acres in 2014 for the airport.
Baljek was designed as a STOL (short take-off and landing) facility, with a runway of approximately 1,120 metres, which limited its operational viability.
Earlier, Sangma urged the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law, and Justice to take necessary steps to make Baljek Airport operational.