Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has requested Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to create a new railway zone exclusively for the North Eastern region.
This was one of the proposals by the Chief Minister, in a letter to Ms. Banerjee recently, for inclusion in the next Railway Budget ‘in the interests of the North East and its people’, stated an official release on Monday.
Mr. Gogoi stated that 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.
The Chief Minister requested introduction of new daily trains (Duronto) between Guwahati-Delhi, Guwahati-Bangalore, Guwahati-Kolkata, super fast trains between Guwahati-Mumbai via Nagpur (daily), Guwahati-Goa and Dibrugarh-Trivandrum (both bi-weekly).
More steps needed
Mr. Gogoi urged the Railway Minister to initiate steps for electrification of railway lines between Bongaigaon-Kamakhya via Jogighopa and Guwahati - Dibrugarh, double track of railways connecting Assam and extending it up to the Guwahati - Tinsukia section, upgrading 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 as the second most important town of the State.
The Chief Minister also requested Ms. Banerjee for setting up a Railway Museum at Guwahati.
