Railway to boost development in Arunachal: Rebia

Itanagar, Dec 05: Rajya Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Nabum Rebia has demanded for construction of a railway line from Rupai in Asom's Tinsukia district to Parsuram Kund in Arunachal's Lohit district, connecting the low-lying Mahadevpur, Namsai, Chongkham and Wakro towns in the state.

Parsuramkund, an area rich in horticulture products and a holy place lies on the left bank of river Lohit, with Rupai as its nearest rail head. Mr Rebia during a special mention in the Rajya Sabha yesterday said that a railway line would ensure rapid economic development of Lohit, Anjaw ad Lower Dibang Valley districts of the state as it would not only help in the export of the horticultural products, but also facilitate transportation of goods and equipments of border roads organization (BRO), Army, para military forces, National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and other central and state government agencies, informed official sources here today.

The MP also appreciated Defence Minister A K Antony's accepting the fact that the Centre has neglected the NE, adding that the people of Arunachal still consider the Chinese aggression of 1962 as a blessing in disguise which opened the eyes of the government towards the remote border state. He said Antony's visit would help to usher in an era of rapid all-round development in Arunachal in particular and the Northeast in general besides removing the isolation syndrome being suffered by the youths of the region who could contribute immensely to the national mainstream.

In response to a written plea of Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI), which was supportive of the state government's demand, Union Railway Minister Lalu Prashad Yadav had sanctioned survey of broad-gauge railway line on the same route in last year's railway budget. DoNER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had also advocated that the railway line would facilitate easy communication and transportation of huge equipment for commissioning the proposed hydro-power projects in Arunachal.

UNI