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Showing posts with label North East states. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North East states. Show all posts

Monday, 20 December 2021

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Saturday, 29 April 2017

08:24

Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways commenced final location surveys of three new BG railway line in Arunachal Pradesh

Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways commenced final location surveys of three new BG railway line in Arunachal Pradesh
01042017/27
28-04-2017
Maligaon

Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways commenced final location surveys of three new BG railway line in Arunachal Pradesh

Manoj Sinha Minister of State for Railways & Minister of State for Communication (Independent Charge) today commenced the final location surveys of three new BG railway lines in Arunachal Pradesh during a ceremonial function held at Naharlagun railway station. Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nabam Rebia, Minister for Urban Development, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, H.K.Jaggi, General Manager (Construction), N.F.Railway along with other dignitaries were also present.

Expansion of rail connectivity in the Northeast has been the topmost priority of the Government under the able leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister. North-eastern region has a very special place in all development agenda of the Government of India. Arunachal Pradesh became the first North Eastern state after Guwahati to have BG Rail connectivity directly to it’s capital city when Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendera Modi flagged off the 1st AC express train from Naharlagun station o­n 20th February 2015 connecting the capital of our country. Before that Bhalukpong was the o­nly railway station in Arunachal Pradesh.

Keeping up with the Government’s decision to connect all capitals of Northeast States o­n the railway network by 2020, Capitals of Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are now connected with a BG line with rest of India. In the past three years, Broad Gauge railway network has also been extended into the states of Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. Thus, total 5 states have been brought o­n the BG network during last three years. With this, all the NE states except Sikkim are now connected o­n Broad Gauge network.

With the commencement of the final location Survey for three BG Railway lines i.e. BG connectivity to Tawang (Bhalukpog-Tenga-Tawang) 378 kms, BG connectivity to Along (North Lakhimpur – Bame - Along-Silapathar) 247.85 kms & BG connectivity to Parsuramkund (Pasighat – Tezu – Rupai) 227 kms connectivity to northern & eastern frontiers of Arunachal Pradesh will improve leaps and bound. Tourist from places will find it easier to visit Arunachal Pradesh to explore its natural beauty. Economic activity will greatly flourish in the region. o­nce completed, these lines will also provide all weather connectivity to tourist place like Tawang & Parshuram Kund. Thus, tourism sector in this region will also get quantum jump.

Modern surveying technique will be adopted for these projects to overcome the challenging terrain. It will take about three & half years to complete these surveys and targeted to be completed by October, 2020. Very long tunnels & bridges will be required to be constructed in these projects. While the realistic cost assessment will be known o­nly after completion of final location Surveys but, roughly the  cost of these 3 lines is expected to be around 60  to 70 thousand Crore.

In addition to these three final location surveys, Reconnaissance Engineering Cum Traffic Survey (RETS) has also been sanctioned for eight new lines in Arunachal Pradesh for a total length of about 625 Km. These are 1) Margherita to Deomali (31 kms), 2) Lekhapani- Kharsang (25 kms), 3) Itakhola to Seijosa (18 kms), 4) Doodooma to Wakro via Simulguri,Namsai, Chowkham (96 kms), 5) Dangri to Roing (60kms), 6) Naharkatia- Deomali (20 kms), 7) Lekhapani - Napnong-New khamlang-Deben (75 kms), 8) Tinsukia (Longpotia) (Assam) To Pasighat  Via Kanubari, Deomali, Lekhapani, Jairampur, Kharsang, Miao, Diyun, Tezu, Bhismaknagar, Roing, Dambuk (300 kms).

Source:NFR 
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Sunday, 31 July 2016

23:13

Confirmed Tickets For Passengers Travelling to North-East

Confirmed Tickets For Passengers Travelling to North-East 

On Indian Railways, including on the North Eastern sector, demand of reserved accommodation is not uniform throughout the year and it varies during peak and lean period and also from class to class and sector to sector. During peak rush period, on popular routes demand generally exceeds availability, particularly in upper class. However, during lean periods and on less popular routes and in lower class, confirmed accommodation remains available for comparatively longer period. With a view to provide confirmed accommodation, waiting list position of the trains is monitored and to meet the increased demand various measures are taken which include introduction of new trains, enhancement of the composition of more popular trains, attachment of extra coaches in the existing trains, running of special trains for clearance of extra passengers traffic during peak seasons, festivals, special events etc. keeping in view the pattern of traffic, commercial justification, operational feasibility, availability of resources etc. 

This Press Release is based on information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 29.07.2016 (Friday). 

Source:PIBNEWS
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Sunday, 13 December 2015

07:29

FIRST BG PASSENGER TRAIN FROM SILCHAR TO GUWAHATI FLAGED OFF

21112015/124
07-12-2015
MALIGAON

FIRST BG PASSENGER TRAIN FROM SILCHAR TO GUWAHATI FLAGED OFF

History was created in railway connectivity of Northeast today with the commencement of the passenger traffic between Lumding and Silchar. The first passenger train (55616/55615 Silchar-Guwahati Fast Passenger) was flagged off by the Union Minister of Railways,Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, through remote from Rail Bhawan, New Delhi at around 10.00 A.M. today. A parallel function was organized at Silchar Railway station where the Union Minister of State for RailwaysShri Manoj Sinha was in attendance along with the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affaires and SportsShri Sarbananda Sonowal, Honourable Lok Sabha MP Kumari Sushmita Dev,  Honourable MLA Shri Dilip Kumar Paul and local leaders.

As soon as Shri Suresh Prabhakar Parbhu flagged off, which was visible at Silchar Railway Station through video link, the Fast Passenger Train chugged out of Silchar Railway Station amid loud cheers from thousands of enthusiastic locals who saw a long-cherished dream being fulfilled.

The train with fifteen coaches -  one AC 3Tier coach, three Sleeper Class coaches, three General Second class coaches, six Chair Cars & two Luggage-cum-parcel vans - saw 100% booking on the inaugural run itself which is an indication of the extent of patronage that this line will get. The train, which will take off from Silchar at 05.00 A.M. every day, will stop at all stations between Silchar and Lumding and at Hojai to reach Guwahati at 05.15 P.M. same day. on the return journey, the train will leave Guwahati at 11.55 P.M. every day to reach Silchar at 01.10 P.M. next day.

Lumding – Silchar Gauge Conversion project has been a formidable engineering challenge because of the typical unstable geology of the region. The 210km track has 79 major bridges, 340 minor bridges and 21 tunnels. The longest tunnel is 3.235km and the tallest bridge over the river Doyang is 54 metres tall. There are a total of 33 stations in the Silchar – Lumding section.

It is noteworthy that beyond Silchar, N. F. Railway would be commissioning Broad Gauge connection up to Agartala by March 2016. By 2020, all the State Capitals are planned to be connected by Broad Gauge rail link. Railway offers the cheapest and the most reliable mode of transport in these areas and the planned expansion will benefit the people of remote areas in getting connected to the mainland.

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Sunday, 18 October 2015

05:44

IRCTC will arrange the chartered coach in appropriate trains between Kolkata and Chennai

IRCTC will arrange the chartered coach in appropriate trains between Kolkata and Chennai

IRCTC, Apollo Hospitals tie up for medical tourism

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has partnered Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals to offer hassle-free travel for people who travel for medical care. IRCTC is also looking to expand the service to neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in collaboration with airline services and other travel facilitators in those countries.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Apollo, IRCTC will operate a chartered coach from Kolkata to Chennai every 14 days and integrate its offerings with the preventive health check-up packages of Apollo Hospitals to offer a comprehensive package to the travellers. The coach will be stationed in Chennai for three days and will return with the same set of passengers.
semi-high-speed New Delhi-Agra test train
IRCTC will arrange the chartered coach in appropriate trains between Kolkata and Chennai, exclusively for passengers who have opted for Apollo-IRCTC package.

This would be a one-stop solution to preventive health check-ups for north-eastern states. The service consists of a comprehensive medical check-up package with return train ticket, local transport to the hospital, hotel stay, and local sight-seeing. The details on the pricing of packages to be offered are to be finalised and the services would be launched from mid-November.

"We are doing this on an experimental basis. Based on the response, we are looking at connecting the regions where there is deficit of healthcare facilities to where there are facilities available in plenty," said V Sriram, south zone director, IRCTC.

The service under the MoU is for preventive medical check-up and there would be various packages offered with certain discounts, said Pratap C Reddy, founder and chairman of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise. He said these travellers would also be offered with a genetic profile service in tie-up with Nashik-based Datar Genetics. "We hope the well-integrated services of IRCTC along with our clinical expertise will provide patients from other regions with unprecedented access to quality healthcare," he added.

It is estimated that every day, around 200 patients from the north-east visit Apollo's main hospital in Chennai.

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Thursday, 10 September 2015

07:36

Agartala to be linked by Broad Gauge Rail line in six months

Agartala to be linked by Broad Gauge Rail line in six months

Agartala (AGTL): After Assam’s main city of Guwahati, Tripura capital Agartala would be the second key city in northeast India to be linked by broad gauge rail network by March next year, the state chief secretary quoted Railway Board chairman as saying on Wednesday.

Agartala was the first state capital in the northeast to come on the country’s rail map in 2008 through a meter gauge track.

“During a recent video conference meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Board chairman A.K. Mittal and myself, Mittal said that the work of conversion of the existing track to broad gauge would be completed by March 2016,” Tripura Chief Secretary Y.P. Singh told reporters.

Mittal said southern Tripura’s Gomati and Sabroom border town, 135 km from Agartala, would be connected by broad gauge railway network by March 2017.

From Sabroom, Bangladesh’s international sea port is just 72 km.

According to an official document of Northeast Frontier Railway, all northeastern states, including Sikkim, would be connected through broad gauge by March 31, 2020.

The document said Indian Railways laid great emphasis on improvement in railway infrastructure in the northeastern region. Accordingly, over Rs.5,200 crore was spent on new lines, gauge conversion and doubling projects in the region in 2014-15. In 2015-16, a still higher outlay of Rs.5,338 crore has been provided for railway projects in the northeastern region.

Meanwhile, Tripura would remain out of the rail network for more than six months as the NFR would undertake gauge conversion work from September 20.

“Due to conversion of railway line, both passenger and goods trains between Badarpur (southern Assam) and Agartala section would be stopped from September 20,” NFR Chief Public Relations Officer P.J. Sharma said.

The entire conversion work on the Badarpur-Kumarghat-Agartala section ought to be completed by March 31, 2016.

The railways have faced severe criticism for the delay in completing the Rs.5,185-crore project, considered a lifelin
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Tuesday, 18 August 2015

20:01

West Bengal - Sikkim Raillink ready by December 2015?

Sevoke-Rangpo Rail link entangled in green tape

The 52.7 km rail link between Sevoke in West Bengal and Rangpo in Sikkim is supposed to be ready by December 2015. With the Prime Minister’s office keen on developing rail and road links to the country’s northeastern region, the cabinet secretariat has stepped in, asking the environment ministry to consult the law ministry and hammer out a solution to take the project forward.

A train to Sikkim continues to be a distant possibility despite the fact that it has been a priority project for the Union government.

The 52.7km rail link between Sevoke in West Bengal and Rangpo in Sikkim was supposed to be ready by December 2015, but is now stuck in a procedural tangle.

The Rs.3,380-crore project will take up around 86 hectares of forest land, which needs clearance from the Union environment ministry. But prior to that, under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the project needs to be cleared by local gram sabhas. However, in this case, the Kurseong and Kalimpong divisions of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council do not have panchayats.

“The main problem is, India’s Constitution exempts Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council area from having a district panchayat. But as per the Forest Rights Act, 2006, permission from gram sabha is required for diversion of forest area. However, in the absence of a panchayat and a go-ahead from them, we have not been able to clear the project,” said an environment ministry official who did not wished to be named.

As Sikkim shares its border with China, the project has strategic importance, too. Once the rail lines are laid, movement of both men and material to the border areas becomes easier. Former railway minister Mamata Banerjeelaid the foundation stone for the project in October 2009.

With the prime minister’s office keen on developing links to the country’s northeastern region, the cabinet secretariat has stepped in, asking the environment ministry to consult the law ministry and hammer out a solution to take the project forward.

“It has been suggested to us to approach the law ministry to find the legal solution for this problem. We hope to reach a consensus soon,” the environment ministry official said.

The official quoted above said that though the ministry’s forest advisory committee cleared the project in September 2014 subject to gram sabha approval, the ministry of tribal affairs has refused its approval.

The tribal affairs ministry stated that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, does not provide any exemptions in procedure when it comes to the gram sabha nod for diversion of forest land.

However, the ministry had suggested a solution to the environment ministry, said a senior tribal affairs ministry official who did not wish to be named.

“Our Constitution exempts Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council area from having district panchayat but there is no exemption for village panchayats and gram sabha. Thus, the area is required to have gram panchayat and gram sabhas. Thus, if Kurseong and Kalimpong divisions have gram sabhas, their consent can be sought for the railway line,” the tribal ministry official said.

However, the suggestion did not make any headway, forcing the cabinet secretariat to intervene as the government wants the project to happen but does not want to violate the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which gives forest dwellers and tribals rights over forests and forest produce
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Saturday, 15 August 2015

07:56

FCI plans Advanced Movement of Foodgrains by Rail to the Northeast

FCI plans Advanced Movement of Foodgrains by Rail to the Northeast

New Delhi: The FCI is planning to move foodgrains to the northeast in advance by rail from Punjab and Haryana to create a buffer stock, parliament was informed on Tuesday.

“In order to ensure smooth supply of foodgrains under the TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System) and other schemes of the government as well as to maintain buffer stocks in the northeast, Food Corporation of India plans movement of foodgrains in advance from Punjab and Haryana to different parts of the northeast by rail,” Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswam told Lok Sabha.

He said certain operational constraints such as inclement topography, landslides due to rain, frequent bandhs and strikes, unforeseen circumstances due to law and order problems and natural calamities sometimes affect movement of foodgrains in the northeast.

“As there is limited rail network in the northeast, FCI inducts stocks from railheads and railhead depots to all FCI depots in the region to ensure smooth supply of foodgrains,” he said.

Paswan said there have been complaints about irregularities in the functioning of the TPDS, including leakage and diversion of foodgrains, and foodgrains not reaching the beneficiaries, in some states, including the northeast.



Stating that TDPS was operated under the joint responsibility of the central and the state governments, Paswan said that as and when complaints are received by the government from individuals and organisations as well as through media reports, these are referred to the state governments concerned for inquiry and appropriate action.

He said 25 complaints have been received from the northeast till June this year.

“Further, the government and FCI continuously monitor the inter-state foodgrains movement to ensure availability of foodgrains in the region,” the minister said.

“A joint coordination mechanism between Railways, FCI and Department of Food and Public Distribution has been set up to monitor rail movement on weekly/monthly basis.”
Paswan said coordination committees have also been set up at regional and zonal levels to monitor foodgrains movement.

“During 2014-15, movement of foodgrains to the northeast increased by 13 percent as compared to previous year,” he said.
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Sunday, 9 August 2015

15:29

Railways to form SPVs for infra development with 17 States: Suresh Prabhu

Railways to form SPVs for infra development with 17 States: Suresh Prabhu

Panaji: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said his ministry will form special purpose vehicles (SPVs) with 17 states to develop railway infrastructure.

“We are creating a special purpose vehicle with each state separately. There are 17 states, who have shown interest. It would be a joint venture,” Prabhu told PTI on the sidelines of the function to flag off local train at Pernem station in north Goa.

He said Goa, North-Eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir are not included in this scheme.

“For the 17 states, we will create SPVs. The state will invest the capital, along with the Centre, in this company (SPV), which will be used for development of railway infrastructure,” the minister said.

According to Prabhu, Maharashtra has decided to invest Rs 10,000 crore for next five years in this company to develop railway infrastructure..

“We are creating a special purpose vehicle with each state separately. There are 17 states, who have shown interest. It would be a joint venture,” Prabhu told PTI on the sidelines of the function to flag off local train at Pernem station in north Goa.

He said Goa, North-Eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir are not included in this scheme.

“For the 17 states, we will create SPVs. The state will invest the capital, along with the Centre, in this company (SPV), which will be used for development of railway infrastructure,” the minister said.

According to Prabhu, Maharashtra has decided to invest Rs 10,000 crore for next five years in this company.

“Now all the states are interested in signing. This is a good thing. We can develop additional infrastructure and bandwidth,” he said.

He also announced 250 additional trains to clear the rush during forthcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which would be celebrated across Maharashtra’s Konkan region and Goa in September.

“Ganesh chaturthi is the most important festival in Goa. We have decided to run 250 additional trains to clear the rush,” Prabhu told a gathering at Pernem Railway Station today, where he flagged off the train between Pernem and Karwar.

Several railway divisions, including Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL), Central Railway, Southern Railway and others, will pitch in to ply the special trains.

Prabhu said 17 stations on KRCL route will have wi-fi facility and escalators will be installed in the stations, including Margao, Ratnagiri, Kankavali and Thivim.
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Thursday, 6 August 2015

04:50

Construction of Railway Lines in North Eastern Region

Construction of Railway Lines in North Eastern Region 

Funds allocated and spent for the projects of new lines, gauge conversion and doubling in North Eastern Region during the last three years are as under:

2012-13  Rs.2279 crore
2013-14  Rs.3392 crore
2014-15  Rs. 5200 crore

Against a national average of 20 km/1000 sq. km. railway network density, North Eastern States have an average railway network density of 10.1 km/1000 sq. km. 12 new line works have been taken up in North Eastern Region having a total length of 1248 km at a total cost of  Rs. 38416 crore. An increased outlay of Rs.5338 crore has been provided in 2015-16 for speedier execution of projects in North Eastern Region.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

Source :PIBNEWS.
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Wednesday, 29 July 2015

09:59

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will Flag off the newly laid Silchar-Lumding broad-gauge

Silchar (SCL): passenger train service along the newly laid Silchar-Lumding broad-gauge route is likely to begin next month.

Sources in the Northeast Frontier Railway told that the passenger railway service was likely to be flagged off in August by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The line is expected to open for passenger trains from August 15, the source added.

The office of the general manager of NFR, Ranjit Singh Virdi, today said he would conduct an inspection of the line from Badarpur to Haflong on Tuesday.

The commissioner of railway safety, Sudarshan Kumar Nayak, in his report had mentioned that the Haflong-Silchar railway link was risky for passenger trains.

The report suggested the NFR to engage structural engineering and technology experts to review the status of the route.

The senior public relations officer, NF Railway (construction), D.C. Bora, said the railway would take all sorts of preventive measures before starting passenger services on the route.

“The NF railway is capable of overcoming the loopholes that were mentioned in the report. We are hopeful that the train service from Silchar to Lumding will begin by August,” he added.

Following the inspection by Virdi, engineers from the railway board will examine the tracks.

“The fate of the passenger train service will be decided based on the reports of the engineers of railway board. However, we are hoping that the passenger train service will start from next month,” said a senior railway officer.

The first broad gauge engine along the 210km route chugged into Silchar on March 13, and three days later, a special LG train with railway officials reached here.

Freight trains run on the route regularly.
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Sunday, 26 July 2015

08:26

North Eastern Railway Projects and Their Importance

Declaring Projects of Strategic Importance as National Projects

Projects important from strategic viewpoint in Jammu and Kashmir and North Eastern Region or developmental projects which result in greater integration of these regions with the rest of India, could be categorized as National Projects.

At present, there are 11 ongoing National Projects out of which 10 fall in North Eastern Region and one in Jammu & Kashmir State. Presently, no proposal to declare any further project as National Project is under consideration.

Adequate funds have been provided for the ongoing National Projects in the current financial year and railways is not facing any such financial crisis. Railways has to depend on Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for network expansion and other infrastructure development works, as most of these projects are unremunerative and are sanctioned on socio-economic and strategic considerations. Presently, there is a large shelf of ongoing projects and Ministry of Finance has been requested from time to time to give higher allocation to Ministry of Railways for completion of such projects. As a result, Railways got the highest GBS of Rs. 40,000 Crore in 2015-16 which is 33% higher than 2014-15 revised estimate. Provision for institutional financing has been kept in the Budget of the current year for critical capacity enhancement works.

This information was given Minister of State in Ministry of Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a reply to a question in Rajya Sabha Yesterday.

 Source :PIBNEWS.
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Thursday, 9 July 2015

21:31

Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Railway meets at Srinagar

Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Railway meets at Srinagar 

The Consultative Committee meeting of Members of Parliament for Ministry of Railways was held in Srinagar today i.e. 9th July, 2015. 

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that Indian Railways is committed to provide better railway connectivity in North-Eastern States and in the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The Minister emphasised that the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi has been emphasising on ensuring all-round development especially in infrastructure sector in Jammu & Kashmir State as well as in North-Eastern States. Shri Suresh Prabhu pointed out that the most of the railway projects have been declared national projects in these regions and adequate funds for them have been arranged from Govt. of India. The Minister said that efforts are being made to provide connectivity to all capitals of North Eastern states by 2020. Similarly, the work is going on on the railway connectivity project between Katra and Banihal. Shri Suresh Prabhu said that the Railways have made spectacular achievements and created engineering marvels despite challenging geological conditions, difficult terrain and adverse law and order situation. The field units in these regions have also been empowered for faster decision making to expedite execution. The projects are being constantly monitored both at Zonal level and at Railway Board level. There is also a periodical review at the level of the Railway Minister, he pointed out. We are also working on timely completion of the projects so as to avoid cost over-run and time over-run. Referring to the recently concluded Railyatri / Upbhokta Pakhwada (Passenger and customer Facilitation fortnight) organised successfully all over the Indian Railways, the Minister said that the unprecedented and historical nationwide massive public outreach event created a very positive atmosphere between railway administration and the railway users. The Senior Railway Functionaries interacted with the public during this fortnight and worked for resolving their problems. Many new projects were commissioned during this period and the entire Railway machinery was galvanised for improving railway facilities and developing infrastructure. 

The Members of the Committee participating in the meeting made several suggestions regarding passenger amenities and on expediting railway projects. Committee members later on visited Srinagar Railway Station. 

Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha, Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A. K. Mital, Railway Board Members, Senior Officials from Ministry of Railways and Northern Railway were among those present on the occasion. 

Source : PIBNEWS.
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Friday, 26 June 2015

09:32

MoS (Home) discusses Train Services & Passenger Security related issues on the NE with Rail Minister

MoS (Home) discusses Train Services & Passenger Security related issues on the NE with Rail Minister

New Delhi: To improve railway connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh and to review the existing facilities in the railway network, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju today convened a meeting with Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and senior officials of the ministry in Delhi.

Rijiju during the meeting, took up the issues of train services in the Northeast and security issues related to passengers, an official communique said.

The meeting decided to introduce new railway coaches and better coaches for the people of Arunachal Pradesh in Naharlagun-Delhi AC SF Express train and to launch a new train from Morkongselek (Jonai) to Guwahati so that eastern parts of Arunachal Pradesh were better connected with the rest of India.

The meeting also decided to introduce a better ticketing system for the people of the state and to allot more quota of seats for the state besides speeding up survey works for rail connectivity to Tawang and Aalo-Pasighat sectors, the communique said.

It was assured that all efforts would be made to further strengthen the railway connectivity of Arunachal Pradesh, the communique added.
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Friday, 19 June 2015

20:47

NITI Aayog issues Green Signal for Agartala-Akhaura Railway line project

NITI Aayog issues Green Signal for Agartala-Akhaura Railway line project

New Delhi: The Ministry of Railway has finally agreed to fund the long-awaited Agartala-Akhaura project to connect Tripura and Bangladesh, said Arunachal Pradesh state Transport Secretary Mr.Samarjit Bhowmik today in a meeting at Guwahati. After the new government came to power, it was decided that the DoNER Ministry will fund the project, he added.

A high level meeting of NITI Aayog was held in New Delhi on June 18 in a bid to break the deadlock on the 15-km Agartala-Akhaura rail project along Tripura on the proposed India-Bangladesh railway project.  NITI Aayog officials presided over the meeting in which, the officials from the Ministries of Railways, Development of North Eastern Region and External Affairs and the Tripura government officials participated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina discussed the project during Modi’s official visit to Dhaka on June 6-7. The Rs.575-crore ($90 million) railway project was finalised in January 2010 during the Bangladesh prime minister’s meeting with then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

The 1,650-km distance between Agartala and Kolkata would be reduced to only 515 km once the rail track is constructed through Bangladesh.

The project cost was earlier estimated at Rs.271 crore. In addition, Rs.302 crore was needed to acquire around 98 acres of land in India for laying the tracks. Work to lay the 15-km railway track to link Tripura capital Agartala with Bangladesh’s southeastern Akhaura city is yet to start although the two countries are very serious about executing the project, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official said.

State-owned Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) is expected to lay the tracks on both sides of the border, with five km falling in the Indian territory and the remaining in Bangladesh.

The new railway connectivity between the northeastern state and Bangladesh will boost socio-economic, trade and business ties between the two countries, the transport minister said.

The NFR is the nodal agency for the project, for which alignment of rail line and other technical details were finalised by officials of both India and Bangladesh.
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Monday, 13 April 2015

23:28

Need to relook and bring changes in Indian Railways: Suresh Prabhu

GUWAHATI: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today called for "relook" and "changes" in the Indian Railways for its smooth run in the future. 

"We need to relook at many things. We also need to change so that we can run successfully for the next 200-300 years," Prabhu said here. 

He was speaking on the occassion of 60th Railway Week National Awards Function-2015 here. 

"Our society changes, country changes. When a change comes, we don't need to worry that it will be negative. We have to change, if we don't, then we will lag behind," Prabhu said. 

He, however, did not elaborate on the changes that the Indian Railways need to focus on. 

"We have the potential to run the Railways efficiently. We can increase the speed and expand direction. The people of the country should take pride in Indian Railways," the minister said. 

Prabhu also said holding the National Awards Function in Guwahati for the first time signifies the NDA gvoernment's thrust to improve connectivity to the North East. 

On job reservations to people from the region, the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the event that the Railways would "never discriminate the North East." 

"The eight states of the North East are far more important than many other states of the country," he added. 

Source : The Economic Times 
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