By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, FEB 8: A Jaintia hills based ngo on Wednesday expressed opposition against the centre’s move to connect the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills – Jowai with railway line.
This came a day after the Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain made the announcement during his visit to the state capital yesterday.
Gohain had told reporters that a survey is taking place for construction of a rail route of 180 km, which would connect Chaparmukh (Assam) and Jowai (West Jaintia Hills) in Meghalaya.
The project will be sanctioned soon from the Rs 5, 586 crore which the Centre has recently approved for improving rail connectivity in the North Eastern states.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Jaintia National Council (JNC) chairman Sambormi Lyngdoh said, “We strongly opposed this move of the Railway Ministry to bring the railway project in the district as the residents have been kept in the dark.”
Stating that the railway is not the need of the hour for the region, Lyngdoh said, “What we need is for development such as roads, schools, hospitals and others to penetrate into the rural areas including the borders.”
“We also demand the state government to take serious steps in improving the road connectivity in the entire Jaintia Hills region,” he added.
He also expressed his disagreement with the claims of the union minister that the railway would further develop tourism in the state and its economy will further boost.
“This is misleading because even with bad road condition, we still witnessed an increase in the inflow of tourists from outside the state and abroad to the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, the JNC also condemned the Information Technology & Communication Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh for assuring the union minister that the state would ensure successful implementation of railway projects in the state.
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