Rail link to Manipur to be taken up as national project:Lalu

Imphal, Aug 3 (UNI) Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has said the work on Jiribam-Tupul railway line in Manipur was going on as per plan and target for completion of the work on the line would be met.

Assuring a delegation, led by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Santosh Mohan Dev, yesterday, Mr Prasad said funds would not be a constraint in execution of this project.

In order to expedite construction of railway line to link Imphal was one of the 17 points of the Common Minimum Programme, announced by the Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government, led by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh when the government took charge on March 7, 2002.

On the day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation of the extension of the rail route from Jiribam to Tupul in Jiribam railway station on November 20, 2004, the Chief Minister demanded the Jiribam-Tupul project be declared a national project.

The 97.9 km-long Jiribam-Tupul railway track had been declared ''National Project'' at an estimated cost of Rs 727.56 crore with targeted completion by March, 2010.

UNI NS SJC LS GC1821