BJP stages demonstration for early completion of railway project

Silchar, Jun 30 (UNI) BJP leaders in south and central Assam districts have questioned the seriousness of both Centre and the Assam government about completing the Lumding-Silchar-Jiribam broad gauge conversion project under North-east Frontier Railway.

In separate memoranda, submitted to the North-east Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager today, the party said given by very poor progress of work for project, it was easily assumed that the authorities were not interested to see that the project was completed soon.

Before submitting the memoranda, hundreds of BJP members and supporters today staged demonstration in Silchar, Badarpur, Karimganj and Lumding railway stations throughout the day.

The agitation programme passed off peacefully, police said.

BJP members submitted the memoranda to the NFR GM through local railway authorities at Badarpur and Lumding stations, party sources said.

The BJP in the memoranda said work for the Lumding-Silchar- Jiribam broad gauge conversion project started during 1997. It was to be completed within a period of six to seven years. However, it was found that only 30 per cent work had been completed over past more than one decade.

''The government is busy telling the story of insurgency in North Cachar Hills behind the delay in the project. But these factors can't come on the way for such a mega national project, if the government is really sincere in its business,'' the party said.

The memoranda also demanded immediate resumption of all passenger trains on Lumding-Silchar Hill section, disrupted for the past 45 days, and improvement of internal train services among South Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.

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