SHILLONG: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is facing several problems in bringing Shillong on the railway map of the country.
The Byrnihat-Shillong railway project is hanging fire for the last two decades and NFR officials said survey for the track till Shillong is still pending though attempts have been made to complete the exercise at the earliest.
According to the officials, detailed survey is needed from 103km to 108km but the contractor left the work due to security reasons.
Now, NFR is once again issuing fresh tender for the detailed survey of the stretch and the contractor will be finalised by February.
“Only a minor work is left and it will be over in a month after the finalisation of the contractor,” the NFR officials said.
The railway authorities had asked for 184 hectares of land for the construction of the tracks from Byrnihat to Lailad, a village around 17km from Byrnihat. NFR said it will start work once it gets the land and the KHADC’s NOC.
The KHADC’s failure to issue the mandatory NOC for land acquisition is delaying the project.
Meanwhile, the Tetelia-Byrnihat railway project is making good progress and it is likely to be completed in 2019.
According to the NFR officials, work is going on smoothly and all the people have given their land for the project except the local MLA who has approached the court on the matter.
The 21.5km rail line will cost around Rs 385 crore.
