Morung Express News
Lumding (Assam) | September 8
With the Central government pushing for time-bound implementation of its flagship programmes including in the northeast region, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, BK Handique today held a crucial meeting with NF Railway representatives at Lumding in Assam’s Nagaon district.
The importance being attached to the meeting could be gauged from the participation of the deputy secretary in the ministry of Home Affairs, A. Kanojia, Assam chief secretary PC Sharma, Director-General of Police Shankar Barua, senior representatives of the railways, army, police and the CRPF.
Hit by insurgency and paucity of funds over the years, the Railways now plans to complete a series of projects, in particular gauge conversion, in South Assam by 2012, ostensibly after some tough talking by the Centre. The work, notably conversion of MG track into BG on Lumding-Silchar route, remained stalled for months together on umpteen times in the wake of increased attacks on laborers by tribal Dimasa militant group DHD (Black Widow).
Briefing the media after a review meeting with officials of the Railways here on Tuesday, Minister BK Handique declared that the gauge conversion work would be completed by 2012. Concerned over the delay, the Prime Minister’s Office is said to have asked him to monitor the project. The DoNER minister will apprise the PMO about the status of the projects along with remedial measures.
“Earlier, the Railways faced a lot of difficulties such as inadequate financial allocation and insurgency. So, the work could not be expedited. But there is a marked improvement in the situation now after the Centre declared it as a national project in 2005,” the minister said. “From now on there won’t be any problem. A lot of money is being given and so we hope to complete it by 2012,” Handique said. He denied allegation that a strong motor lobby was behind stalling the project.
Once completed, the project will benefit the people of Assam’s Barak Valley as well as those in Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur. But progress of the project hinges on the kind of security given to the Railways for execution of work. Initially, the Railways pegged the estimated cost of the project at Rs.1781 crore which has now been revised at Rs.4073 crore.
GM (Construction) Shiv Kumar said the North Frontier Railway (NFR) spent Rs.1781 crore so far on the project. Citing funds crunch as the cause of delay in completion of the work, he said the NFR received a token money of only Rs.6 lakh when the project was sanctioned in 1996-97. “In the first 10 years, we received only Rs.330 crore. But in the next 3 years, we received over Rs.1400 crore.” With the kind of money being allocated now, Shiv Kumar expressed optimism that the remaining work could be completed by 2012. In subsequent phases in this part of the North-East, the Railways will construct the Jiribam-Tupul and Kumarghat-Agartala lines.
