Expedite railway projects in State, Chief Minister Pema Khandu urges Centre

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR, July 18: Chief Minister Pema Khandu has pleaded Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to expedite the ongoing railway projects in the State for a robust rail network at the earliest.

There are 11 railway projects in the State under various stages of implementation. These are: Bhalukpong-Tenga-Tawang (378 km), Silapathar- Bame-Aalo (92 Km), Pasighat-Tezu-Parshuram Kund-Rupai (225 Km), Itakhola-Seijosa (18 Km), Dumduma-Namsai-Wakro (96 Km), Dangri-Roing (60 Km), Deomali-Naharkatia (20 Km), Lekhapani-Kharsang-Miao-Nampong-New Kamlang (Deban) (75 Km), Tinsukia-Pasighat via Simalguri-Kanubari (300 Km), Margherita-Deomali (31 Km) and Murkongselek-Pasighat (26.15 Km). Of these, surveys for the last two projects have been completed while surveys for the rest are to be completed by 2019.

The Misamari-Bhalukpong-Tawang line would be one of the toughest and highest in the country. The railway line is expected to include at least 21 bridges and 145 km of tunnel length.

While expressing gratitude to the ministries of Defence and Railways for the projects, Chief Minister Khandu during a meeting with Union Minister Goyal at New Delhi on Tuesday, requested the Union Minister to fast-track sanctioning of funds for the survey-completed projects.

He also urged the Ministry to monitor the survey process so that all are completed as scheduled and construction of the railway lines started soon, an official communiqué informed here today.

The Chief Minister also drew the attention of Goyal, who also holds the Finance portfolio at the moment, towards the urgent need of an airport in the State capital and sought early sanction of funds for the Greenfield Airport at Hollongi.

Khandu had on Monday met Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and discussed the pending issue. Sinha reportedly expressed the Ministry’s commitment to develop a robust and expansive aviation network in the North East in accordance with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sab Uden, Sab Juden’. Goyal gave a positive response to all the requests from CM and admitted that connectivity is key to the all-round development of Arunachal Pradesh and that his Ministry is committed to assist the State in all possible ways, the communiqué added.