Early completion of Silchar-Lumding BG project demanded

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Signature campaign demands early completion of BG project
A Correspondent Assam Tribune
NILAMBAZAR, Jan 30 – Communication is the main problem of Barak valley and its surrounding States. The only route that connects Barak Valley is the road through Meghalaya. But this route is also not reliable because most of the times it is closed due to landslide. The metergauge railwayline is always undependable. The Railway ministry too said the broad gauge line will be operational from 2009. However, the progress of the work shows that it is totally impossible. For this reason, the All India Democratic Woman Forum, Karimganj district committee launched a signature campaign here recently for immediate completion of the broad gauge line The woman forum has collected one lakh signatures.

The BG project was initiated way back in 1983. But the initial project was cancelled due to some technicalities. But later on the NF railways came forward with their own proposition to convert the existing metergauge track into BG without detailing the technicalities involved in this project.

But realising the surface communication difficulties of Barak Valley, Tripura and Mizoram as well as Manipur, the then Railway minister Ram Vilas Paswan, laid the foundation stone of Silchar-Lumding BG line in 1997. The present Railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav declared it as a national project and said that it would be completed by 2009. But way construction is going on questions are being raised about the very fate of this railway track.

The campaign also discussed that this railway line is the life line of supply of not only Barak Valley but also Tripura and Mizoram. The two most important bridges to be built on Barak and Jatinga are yet to come up. All that has been done is in respect of earth filling only and no significant progress is visible.

The militancy related problem has no doubt created serious threat perception which has already taken lives of engineers and workers at different locations. This problem can be trackled as is being done in Tripura and Kashmir where there is significant progress of work on the BG track. Tripura government has already completed the BG project up to Kumarghat.

The All India Democratic Woman Forum has also discussed the signature campaign regarding the rail service from Karimganj to Kolkata via Bangladesh. The forum has demanded immediate start of the railway service on this route. The organisation is going to submit a memorandum before the Prime Minister of India with one lakh signatures demanding the immediate implementation of these two remarkable railway projects out of six. CPI, CP(I) M and BJP have also organised several agitational programme for demanding the same.


Body formed
NILAMBAZAR, Jan 30 – Barak Uptaka Banga Sahitya and Sanskritik Sammelan Kaliganj–Bagbari Anchalik Samiti was formed with Joydeep Paul and Debasish Das as president and secretary respectively. In this connection a general meeting was held at Bagbari, which selected Bishnupada Bhattacharjee as vice- president, Bivash Bardhan, editor of Little magazine, Banojit Dey as treasurer and Shilpi Bhattacharjee as a cultural secretary.

Silchar-Lumding broadgauge line by 2010

CORRESPONDENT BADARPUR, Nov 28 – The construction of the broadgauge line from Silchar-Badarpur-Lumding hill section is on in full swing. Although there are still many obstacles prevailing, but the NF Railway authority recently assured that work on the 76-km railway line from Silchar to New Harangajao, via Badarpur junction is progressing very swiftly and if this speed of work is maintained then the line will be completed by March 2010 positively.

Railway sources said in the 64-km stretch earth-filling work has already been completed. In this route, there will be 12 railway stations. Among these 12 railway stations, the construction works of five railway stations, viz Salchapra, Arunachal, Katakhal, Sukritipur and Chandranathpur have already been completed. In Silchar-Badarpur-New Harangajao section there will be four tunnels, among which one tunnel between Bandarkhal and Ditekchara, and another tunnel between Damchara and Bandarkhal have already been completed. The remaining two tunnels in this route will be completed within March 2009. Sources also said that in Silchar-Badarpur-New Harangajao BG section there will be a total of 46 bridges, out of which, two bridges will be constructed on the road. Out of the 46 bridges, the construction works of sub-structure of 13 girders have been completed speeding the construction work of Barak bridge of Badarpur. Sources informed that the work has made substantial progress. In this connection, the steel fabrication work of the bridge is going on in full swing in Kolkata, at present.

The NF Railway authority has also informed that in the 17 km railway route between Silchar and Badarpur, works have been fully completed. The railway authority also stated under the BG project, a goods terminus at Salchapra and a diesel shed at Badarpur, alongwith arrangements of supervising the railway coaches at Silchar will be set up. Sources said that in Silchar-Badarpur-Harangajao route, ten kilometres are under North Cachar district, and remaining 66 Karimganj district. It is to be noted here that although the railway authority has given information of the progress of BG project in Barak Valley, but they could not give any information of the position and condition of the works in North Cachar hill which is vitally essential for the speedy completion of Lumding-Badarpur hill section.

Meanwhile, an urgent official meeting was held at Silchar on Thursday, under the presidentship of the deputy commissioner of Cachar, Gautam Ganguly, regarding the progress of Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar BG project. The meeting was attended by deputy chief engineer (construction) SP Desmukh, two ADCs of Cachar. Bhannisikha Dutta, and HA Laskar, DIPRO, deputy director of Barak Valley zone, Haran Dey, CRPF and RPF officials and other high railway officials. The meeting stressed upon the speedy implementation of BG construction works as early as possible. In the meeting, the Cachar district administration has also strongly urged the railway authority for immediate resumption of passenger train service of night section, in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section, without any delay in the greater interest of the people.

The Pradesh Yuva Congress Committee, Karimganj district committee has also expressed deep concern over suspension of the night service in the hill section. In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister and Union Railway Minister the YCC has strongly urged them for immediate resumption of the passenger train service.source: assam tribune

Basudev Acharya emphatic on Silchar-Lumding BG project

Basudev Acharya emphatic on Silchar-Lumding BG project

From our Staff Reporter Sentinel Assam SILCHAR, June 16: The work of the militancy-hit Silchar-Lumding Broad Gauge Project has to be started immediately, said the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to the Railways, Basudev Acharya while interacting with mediapersons here today. He said if the State Government fails to provide security in the trouble spots, the Centre has to send more paramilitary force for the early completion of the project. He said that he would discuss the issue with the Prime Minister on June 23. “If necessary, I will also meet Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil,” he added. Acharya, who arrived here this morning, is likely to meet Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to discuss the prevailing situation in North-Cachar Hills. He is also scheduled to meet NF Railway General Manager Ashutosh Swami and General Manager (construction) Shiv Kumar tomorrow. Meanwhile, three neighbouring States of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram have extended their support for early completion of the broad gauge project between Lumding and Silchar. The people’s convention held at the packed auditorium of the Silchar District Library today decided to put pressure on both Dispur and New Delhi by mobilizing mass movement to remove the connectivity bottlenecks being faced by the people of the region. “Providing adequate security to the project is the responsibility of the State Government and Dispur should learn a lesson from the Tripura Government, which, despite the insurgency problem, has executed the Kumarghat-Agartala project on time,” said Basudev Acharya, while addressing the convention. Agartala is going to be connected with rest of the country through rail route by August this year, he added. The convention was jointly organized by the CPI(M) Cachar-Hailakandi and Karimganj district committees demanding early implementation of the BG and East West Corridor projects. The veteran CPI(M) leader said development in this part of the world cannot be possible when the speed of a train in a 110-year-old railway track is a mere 18 km per hour. The lifeline of the about one crore people living in this Valley is still neglected, he said. Even the maintenance of the present metre gauge track has been neglected, he said, adding that the construction of the meter gauge coach has been stopped by Railway factories. Acharya said that he is going to suggest a Silchar-Agartala inter-city express by introducing a new metre gauge coach. Acharya, describing his recent visit to the project sites, said the progress of work is very poor. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today met NF Railway General Manager (construction) today and assured him of providing security in NC Hills. CPI(M) MP from Tripura Bajubal Riang, who also attended the convention, said out of the 68 sites of the ongoing project requiring security, the State Government has so far provided security in only 32 sites, which reflects the lack of sincerity on the part of Dispur. He added that the condition of National Highway 44 connecting Tripura is deplorable and demanded that the highway be converted to a four-lane one. CPI(M) MP from Tripura Khagen Das said that the Railways are a symbol of national unity and it is due to the callous attitude of Delhi and Dispur that the national integrity is at stake. He said that due to non-availability of rail connectivity, the region has been deprived of balanced development, leading to the sense of frustration in the minds of people. The CPI (M) State unit member Deben Bhattacharjee said his party is concerned with the connectivity problem in south Asom. He said the people of Brahmaputra Valley will join hands with the people of the Barak Valley in the struggle for getting the broad gauge line on time.