Northeast rail, road links partially snapped due to rainfall

GUWAHATI: The situation in the hill section of the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway has further deteriorated as rain and landslides continued to batter the region, affecting the Lumding-Badarpur route of NFR, an official said on Monday.

The Lumding-Badarpur section in Assam is the only route to connect Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam with the rest of the country. This rail link has been cut off since three days.

Sabyasachi De, CPRO of NFR, said the landslides occurred in 53 locations. The NF Railway could clear the debris and restore the tracks at 11 locations only.

De said: "These are the places where landslides happened but the impact was not felt much. However, there are multiple locations where the foundation of the railway tracks got washed away due to landslides. Some of such areas are stretched up to 100 meters, making it difficult for the railway staff to restore the track."

Meanwhile, the Met Department has issued fresh alerts for Assam and Meghalaya.

There is a forecast of further rain in these two States, making it difficult for the NF Railway to plan on the restoration of the train services.

The road connectivity with these States was also disrupted due to severe landslides in multiple locations in Meghalaya. Thousands of vehicles were stranded on the road as the boulders and mud blocked the National Highway.

Superintendent of Police of the East Jaintia Hills district, Jagpal Singh said on Monday that vehicles are plying through a one-way route as some of the debris could not be cleared. "There is heavy traffic on the highway," he added.

The police officer has also warned that further rain can worsen the situation again. (IANS)

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