Assam CM pleads for rail connectivity with Majuli  

Guwahati:Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal urged the Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain and the officials of the Railways to construct a railway bridge connecting Majuli from Dhakuakhana to expose the biggest river island in the world and the seat of Vaishnavism to the whole world. The day-long meeting convened by the Minister for Railways with Chief Minister, MPs from Assam, Chief Secretary, Member Traffic, Railway Board, GM, NF Railways, GM (Construction) and senior officials of Railways and State Government was held at the conference room of Assam Administrative Staff College in Khanapara in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Sonowal said connecting Majuli by railway lines would help to develop the river island economically and to make it a hub of tourism.
“Majuli will be exposed to the global society if the Railways build a bridge from Dhakuakhana in Dhemaji district,” Sonowal said. Sonowal urged the Railway Minister and officials to create a separate railway zone exclusively for the North East region, including Sikkim. “For the overall growth of railway network and economic prosperity of the eight North Eastern States, a separate railway zone in the name of North East Railway instead of North Frontier Railway must be created,” Sonowal said, adding that portions of West Bengal and Bihar that falls under the jurisdiction of NF Railways, must be excluded from the new zone.

The Assam CM called for recruitment of people from Assam and other North Eastern States in the 3rd and 4th grade categories in Railways. “People encompassing the greater Assamese society must get preference in the 3rd and 4th grade posts in the Railways,” Sonowal said.

Sonowal pleaded with Gohain not to evict people residing in railway land for long 30 to 40 years and to go in for one time settlement with them to resolve the matter once and for all.

“The eviction of people residing since long in railway land creates resentment. Railways must opt for settlement by working out a compromise formula with them,” Sonowal said.

In this context, the Assam CM also urged the Minister to apprise the Government on how the Railways intend to make use of the rest of the unused land for economic purpose through PPP mode.

“Railways must conduct a proper assessment of land available in the State and develop projects that can fuel growth and create avenues for employment for the unemployed educated youths,” Sonowal said. The Assam CM suggested for beautification of the areas in and around the ongoing Bogibeel bridge to make it a tourism spot.

“Large tracts of land in and around the Bogibeel bridge, one of the longest bridges in Asia, can be beautified through landscaping to make it a tourism hotspot,” Sonowal said. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia requested the Minister for Railways to introduce four Shatabdi trains connecting Guwahati-Dibrugarh, Guwahati with Srirampur via Goalpara, Guwahati to Murkongseleng and Guwahati to Silchar to improve railway services in the State. In this connection, Minister for Railways disclosed that plans are on the anvil to introduce Shatabdi trains viz., Guwahati to Dibrugarh and Murkongseleng to Guwahati.

The Chief Secretary requested for urgent commissioning of Moinaguri to Jogighopa railway line, particularly the stretch from Gauripur to Abhayapuri to ensure alternate link with the rest of the country.

Pipersenia pleaded for restoration of Tirap-Lekhapani railway line for access to Lekhapani coal mines; completion of Bogibeel project and new BG line from Tetelia to Byrnihat; upgradation of Kamakhya Railway Station and modernisation of Guwahati Railway Station; expansion of freight terminal at Azara, new terminal at Amingaon and upgradation of new Bongaigaon Railway Workshop into an Integrated Coach Factory.

Pleading for connection of railway tracks with all district headquarters, Pipersenia also requested for doubling of railway tracks from Cooch Behar to Dibrugarh; an alternate railway track to Barak Valley’ a new parallel railway bridge at Saraighat; a new railway line connecting Silghat to Balipara via Tezpur with a bridge over the Brahmaputra; gauge conversion of Baraigram-Durlabcherra railway line and construction of by-pass at Mariani to enable Rajdhani Express to come up to Jorhat.

The Chief Secretary urged the Railway Minister and senior officials to approve the proposal of the Government for 12 rail over bridges. Pipersenia also pointed out infrastructure related issues of Government Railway Police and plantations along the railway tracks. Minister for Railways Rajen Gohain said double tracking from New Jalpaiguri to Guwahati and Guwahati to Lumding is on at a revised estimate of Rs 650 crore. Gohain while assuring to clear all pending railway projects in the region, said the railways is conducting surveys for parallel railway bridges at Saraighat and at Silghat, besides two others at Mariani, Jorhat and Sivasagar.

Gohain said the Railways would lease out railway land available in the State for commercial purposes that would help to generate revenue and create employment opportunities in a big way. However, he made it clear that encroachers would be evicted from the land adjacent to the railway tracks to keep anti-social elements at bay.

The Minister for Railways said water vending machine would be given to the unemployed youth and SHGs so that they can eke out their livelihood by providing pure drinking water to poor people at nominal price.

Gohain also assured to upgrade the Guwahati Railway Station into a world class station, besides providing new coaches/bogies to improve train services in the region. He assured the Chief Minister and MPs that the concerns and issues raised by them would be taken note of seriously and addressed accordingly.

Earlier, MPs Bijoya Chakravorty, Naba Kumar Sarania and Gaurav Gogoi raised a number of infrastructure related issues concerning their constituencies and the State at large. The MPs, while thanking the Minister for Railways for giving them the opportunity to ventilate their views, exuded the optimism that all ongoing and pending railway projects would be completed within stipulated timeframe and railway services would improve in the days ahead.They were one in their opinion that the Railways as largest employer must give preference to youth of the region in 3rd and 4th grade posts.