Gogoi seeks exclusive rly zone for NE

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has requested the railway minister, Mamata Banerjee, to create a new railway zone for the North-Eastern region. Creation of an exclusive railway zone was one of the many proposals put forth by Gogoi in a letter to Banerjee recently. Gogoi has requested Banerjee for inclusion of proposals in the next railway budget 'in the interests of the North-East and its people'.

Gogoi said one of the major causes of backwardness of the region was lack of connectivity, and that the proposals, if considered, would go a long way in improving connectivity in the region. Presently, parts of eastern Bihar and North Bengal are also included in Northeast Frontier Railway, headquartered at Maligaon in Guwahati. In addition, Gogoi requested introduction of new daily Trains (Duronto Express) between Guwahati-Delhi, Guwahati-Bangalore, Guwahati-Kolkata, and super fast trains between Guwahati-Mumbai via Nagpur (daily), Guwahati-Goa and Dibrugarh-Trivandrum (both bi-weekly).

He also pleaded with the railway minister for electrification of railway lines between Bongaigaon-Kamakhya via Jogighopa and Guwahati-Dibrugarh. Double tracking of railway lines connecting Assam and extending it up to the Guwahati-Tinsukia section, upgrade of New Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh railway workshops for manufacturing coaches and wagons, development of alternate terminus at Narengi for easing of congestion of passengers and traffic, construction of a road parallel to railway track in Guwahati, provision of railway track in the second Saraighat Bridge, development of alternate railway facility at Cinnamara in Jorhat, besides expeditious implementation of ongoing railway projects like Bogibeel Bridge, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar gauge conversion and Rangia-Murkongselek gauge conversion are some of the other proposals put forth by the chief minister to the railway minister for inclusion in the coming railway budget.

Gogoi also requested Banerjee for a railway museum in Guwahati to showcase Assam’s place in the railway history.