Railway Ministry launches new projects in NE

Agartala, May 24: The Union Ministry of Railways has launched a new track-laying project on Kumarghat (Agartala) and Jiribam (Tupul in Manipur) routes, NF Railway sources here said today.

According to sources, the ministry has allocated Rs 3,450 crores for conversion of metre gauge railway line to broad gauge between Lumding and Silchar.

The ministry has made an additional provision of Rs 2,200 crores to meet any escalation in the planned expenditure the project is expected tobe completed by 2010-11, sources said, adding that these projects were important for greater integration among NE states as well as with rest of India.

Alo a number of schemes for development of Agartala (Tripura), Barapani (Meghalaya), Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Silchar (Asom), Dimapur (Nagaland), Imphal (Manipur) airports for better connectivity has been undertaken.

Centre has sanctioned Rs 12,123 crores under a Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the NE(SARDP-NE) while new NE industrial policy has given importance to develop hinterland waters.

UNI