By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, FEB 13: The opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) today welcome the proposed introduction of cargo train in the state but disapprove the move to bring passenger train due to lack of mechanisms to check and control influx.
“We have made our stand clear on the issue related to railway since the past few years. The party had maintained that cargo (goods) train till Byrnihat, Ri Bhoi is a welcoming step,” UDP vice president Allantry F Dkhar said.
Two projects have been proposed in the state by the Railways – the 22-km Tetelia-Byrnihat tracks and the 108-km Byrnihat-Shillong line.
The Tetelia-Byrnihat project will be implemented at a cost of Rs 496 crore. However, these projects have faced roadblocks due to strong opposition from different quarters apprehending influx.
NGOs including the Khasi Students’ Union have maintained that they would talk about railways after the government is ready to implement effective laws to tackle issue related to influx.
Reacting to a query, Dkhar however said, “Let us give it a try (railway line for cargo train till Byrnihat). This can serve as a test case whether we are ready for passenger train.”
According to him, once the goods train is allowed to come, it will benefit the people of the state in terms of transportation cost, which usually is a burden, as it will be lowered.
On the other hand, the UDP leader was of the opinion that it is too early to bring passenger train to Shillong on account of lack of mechanisms to check influx and more importantly it will be destruction to the environment
“We are definitely opposing the passenger train to Shillong,” Dkhar said while pointing out that the state’s capital is already congested and is on the verge of collapse. According to him, by allowing passenger train to come without proper mechanisms in place will only further add more pressure to the already congested city.
+ There are no comments
Add yours