Interstate new train to run in 2009

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 11: Train services are expected to be introduced between New Cooch Behar and Golokganj in Assam by December 2009. The chairman of Railway Standing Committee Mr Basudeb Acharya (MP) announced this today at Cooch Behar Circuit House after a meeting with senior officials of Northeast Frontier Railway including the general manager (construction).

 

Mr Acharya came here to visit the progress of work of the long awaited New Maynaguri-Jogighopa railway project. He started his visit from Madhupur and went upto Baxirhat adjacent to Assam-Bengal border. Leaders of New Railway Demand Committee including Cooch Behar MP (Rajya Sabha) Mr Tarini Roy, Natabari MLA Md Tamser Ali and joint convenor of NRDC Mr Chandi Pal accompanied him. Later, he had a meeting with senior NF Railway officials and NRDC leaders at Circuit House.

 

Surveying the progress of work along the proposed 235-km railway route Mr Acharya said the progress was not upto the expectation. A stretch of 1.5-km land still needs to be acquired near New Cooch Behar for the project. Acquisition of lands may be completed by 15 April, he hoped. Though the work of the project is going slowly he hoped that by united effort trains might start plying between New Cooch Behar and Golokganj by December 2009.

 

NRDC joint convenor Mr Chandi Pal said they would discuss the development in their meeting on 14 February and next plan of movement demanding speedy implementation of the project will be decided there.

 

Mr Acharya said people and political parties of this region fought for the New Maynaguri-Jogighopa railway route for a long. It is a very important railway route. Once launched it will be easier to carry local agricultural produces quickly to Guwahati by train, he opined.

 

Before partition of the country it was possible to arrive Kolkata within six hours. "I shall request the Prime Minister to consider reviving the old railway route from Haldibari to Sealdah through Bangladesh. It turned defunct in 1952. He should take up the matter with the Bangladesh government", Mr Acharya said.

 

Mr Acharya informed that Agartala is going to come in railway map and train services will begin there in June of this year. []