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Friday, August 29, 2008

‘Trans-Asia rail link a key to Barak Valley development’


SILCHAR Aug 28: The south north-eastern region comprising Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and North Cachar Hills districts of Asom as well as Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura remain cut off from the main lane of the country for about four months a year due to disruption of surface communication. It is more than a decade that railway communication between the southern region and Guwahati has been disconnected for the Lumding-Badarpur gauge conversion work.The part project work of gauge conversion between Lumding and Silchar cannot be completed due to terrorist activities. The current situation gives an impression that it will take another decade for completion of the gauge conversion work even if militants stop their activities. The only existing road link between the south north-eastern region and main land via Meghalaya also remains disrupted for three months a year due to landslides and other factors. The terrain of this road is accident prone. Frequent forays by robbers, dacoits and extremists also pose a serious threat to this surface link. The Barak Valley has its own strategic importance with its international boundary with Bangladesh and inter-state boundary with Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura. Giving details of an identical memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, South NE Regional Cooperation (SNERC) organizer Sunil Roy said 20 countries, including India, signed an agreement on June 30, 2007 in New York wherein it was agreed that the 11,460-km Trans-Asian Rail Communication would connect India with China, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey and Bulgaria. Railway Board Chairman J P Batra signed the agreement as the representative of India. This Trans-Asia Rail is also to run through Bangladesh via Myanmar via Karimganj, Badarpur, Silchar and Jirighat of Barak Valley. Prior to the partition of India and Pakistan, Barak Valley and part of the north-eastern region were connected with Kolkata via East Bengal, now Bangladesh, by road, rail and water in the shortest possible ways. Even during 1971-72, these surface links were restored temporarily. Restoration of surface communication from Silchar-Kolkata and Agartala-Kolkata is the only option for speedy development of the south north-eastern region. Against this backdrop, the SNERC has impressed upon the Prime Minister, the External Affairs Minister and the Railway Minister to take immediate action to restore regular rail, road and water links from Barak Valley-Kolkata and Agartala-Kolkata via Bangladesh. Part of Trans-Asia railway communication project from Kolkata-Myanmar via Bangladesh, Barak Valley and Manipur needs to be completed expeditiously in the overall interest and development of the north-eastern region, the memorandum said. source: sentinel assam

4 comments:

Joydeep Das said...

Blame this condition of Barak Valley to politicians of Barak Valley and we people of barak valley. Mr Rana Dev has done nothing for our own land except where he sees his own interest. Its quite surprising that such a senior politician can't do anything to improve the communication between barak valley with rest of other parts of india. The normal people will prefer to go for Railway if BG works complete than the existing Bus Service. Then the monopoly of those who are running Bus services will stop. These bus services are ran by some relatives of these politician, or they are getting huge money from the owner who are running bus services.

Why can't we, the people of Barak valley come together and force these politicians to implement the BG conversion project otherwise they have no rights to ask for our vote? I think like BAPU we should start Non-Cooperation Movement until this BG Conversion project see the Day light.

India Blogs said...

JOY, you are right that politicians are not doing what they are capable to do but do not say that Mr Ranadev or other did nothing for barak valley. Read this blog everyday and thne you could know what our politicians are doing. One cannot blame a single person for the whole mess.
Thanks

Joydeep Das said...

you are very right. But I think they could have done lot more than what they actually did for Barak Valley. If we the people of Barak can stand togather and force them to act towards our common rights.

India Blogs said...

Ya, they could have done more but they didn't. Now a days people are conscious and they will not vote for the politicians who could not perform or could have performed much better.

Recently a non-political student union called All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association is doing good jobs and politicians are under pressure from this Student Association. This Association is very active and every week they are agitating against government on various issues like Broad Gauge Conversion Work, East-West Corridor, pathetic roads etc . Association is getting huge response from the general people and thousands of students allover barak are with this Student Association. We need such non-political student Association which is active and could influence the government and it's decisions which this Student Association is doing.

Hope for the best