A CORRESPONDENT
NALBARI: Questions have once again been raised over the implementation of several important proposals included in the 2017 Railway Budget for the development of Assam’s railway connectivity. In particular, various sections have expressed concern over the slow pace of fund approval and project execution for major proposals such as the construction of the second Saraighat rail bridge and the Jorhat–Sivasagar and Shalna–Khumtai rail links.
The proposal for the second Saraighat rail bridge was included in the 2017 Railway Budget. However, even after many years, the project has not even reached the foundation-laying stage, prompting fresh questions about its progress. For Assam, known as the gateway to the Northeast, the second Saraighat rail bridge is considered not merely a transport project but a crucial infrastructure initiative tied to the future of the state’s railway connectivity.
Meanwhile, the number of central ministers, domestic and foreign tourists, and other prominent visitors arriving in Assam has been rising every year. The number of tourists visiting the Maa Kamakhya temple, Kaziranga, and Shillong has also increased steadily. Yet, the fact that many important railway proposals in Assam remain confined to paper has become a matter of concern for the state, according to informed circles.
Particular attention has now returned to the two proposed rail links from the 2017 Budget — Jorhat–Sivasagar and Shalna–Khumtai. If these two routes were completed, they could have created an alternative and comparatively shorter railway corridor in Assam. It has been argued that this would have made the operation of express trains from Guwahati to Dibrugarh more time-saving and convenient.
Recently, after the Shimaluguri–Nazira rail section was damaged by floods and rail services were disrupted, the need for an alternative rail route to Upper Assam has once again become clear. The disruption has caused major difficulties for ordinary people travelling to Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, and other areas.
In such a situation, the question now being asked is whether the current crisis in rail connectivity to Upper Assam could have been avoided if the alternative short rail routes proposed in 2017 had already been completed.
Demands have also been raised that the Central Government should accord the same priority to Assam’s important railway proposals as it has given to rail projects in other northeastern states, particularly those connecting Kohima and Imphal. Despite Assam’s significant contribution to the Centre in terms of revenue, resources and strategic importance, people are now asking why the development of the state’s railway infrastructure has moved at such a slow pace.
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