SHILLONG: The long-cherished dream of having a rail link connecting Meghalaya with the rest of the country is all set come true with the authorities concerned handing over 65.09 hectares of land to NFR for the proposed 19.47-km broad gauge line from Dudhnoi to Mendipathar.
"If the estimation of higher officials from North Frontier Railway, Maligaon, is taken into account, the first train may chug into Mendipathar by the end of March, 2013. In 1994, the first effort was made to have a railway line from Dudhnoi to Depa Sarangma though Mendipathar," said Pravin Bakshi, the deputy commissioner of East Garo Hills.
The sanctioned cost of the ambitious project was Rs 86.22 crore. But the revised cost could be approximately Rs 144 crore.
"The journey has been a very eventful one as the original proposal for the railway line from Dudhnoi to Depa Sarangma had to be abandoned due to stiff opposition of locals. However, the railway project of Mendipathar was wholeheartedly welcomed by the people, who were enamoured by the concept of having their very own railway station and a broad gauge line which stretched from Nolbari to Mendipathar," the DC added.
In view of the urgency of the matter, land acquisition was made under Section 17 of Land Acquisition Act. According to reports, 80 per cent of amount for land has been paid by NF Railway and possession has been taken from 181 landholders.
The areas which the new line would cover are Nolbari-Deuripara, Boromiapara, Chotomiapara, Mataranga, Manikganj, Horingkata, Bakenang-Tilapara and Mendipathar. "With the handing over of land to railway authorities, work is in full swing in Assam and Meghalaya," an official said. He added that out of 39 bridges on the stretch, construction of 9 is already over," said an official.
No comments:
Post a Comment