Soon rail link to Indo-China border: Prabhu

Soon rail link to Indo-China border: Prabhu

Guwahati (GWH): Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said on Monday that India would soon build railway station right at the Sino-Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh.

The minister said this while talking to reporters at the sidelines of the 60th National Level Railway Week Award Function-2015 here on Monday.

Prabhu said “whatever the defence minister has stated, he has said with full responsibility and right now we cannot divulge more”, hinting at possibilities that the Railways is closely working with the Minister of Defence on the ambitious project of laying the track up to the India-China border and also constructing stations there.

On Arpil 11 last, Manohar Parrikar had said Indian Railways will soon set up a station in Arunachal near the India-China border and a draft MoU is ready to be signed soon.

Significantly, this decision comes close on the heels of China’s claims when that there is “huge dispute” on Arunachal Pradesh as an “undeniable fact.”

Arunachal shares a 1,126 km border with China and 520 km border with Myanmar. China claims Arunachal as part of southern Tibet, a stand strongly opposed by India.

Railways experts believe that China has plans to build a 540 km strategic high-speed rail link between Tibet and Nepal passing through a tunnel under Mt Everest.

The railway minister also categorically said that expanding rail network to the remote and border areas of Northeast is a priority of his ministry.