NRDC plans stir in rail stations on 28 February

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 15: Demanding speedy implementation of the New Maynaguri-Jogighopa railway project the New Railway Demand Committee (NRDC) will organise daylong sit-in demonstrations at all railway stations between Cooch Behar and Dhubri (Assam) on 28 February. The decision was adopted at the meeting of the NRDC held at Rasik-bil in Tufanganj yesterday. Joint convenors of NRDC Mr Chandi Pal and Md Tajmul Haq, Cooch Behar MP (Rajya Sabha) Mr Tarini Roy, Natabari MLA Md Tamser Ali, Mr Rajendra Baid and other leaders attended the meeting.

 

NRDC joint convenor Mr Chandi Pal said today that they were organising popular movements for a long to get the proposed railway route from New Maynaguri to Jogighopa in Assam. A few days ago the chairman of Railway Standing Committee Mr Basudeb Acharya (MP) came to survey the progress of work of the project. He too observed that the progress of work was not satisfactory and going on slowly. The senior railway officials had promised him that they might be able to run trains between New Cooch Behar and Golokganj by December 2009.

 

Prior to the tabling of the Union Railway Budget the NRDC will submit a memorandum to the railway minister to allot adequate fund for the project, Mr Pal said.

 

"As we believe that the proposed railway will be of immense help to the industrialisation of this region and may boost up the trade and commerce scenario of entire northeast region we want speedy implementation of the project", Mr Pal said. The new rail route may also encourage the regional economy, he hoped.

 

Revival of the long defunct waterway through Brahmaputra river was also discussed at the meeting. The Union government should come up to resume the waterway as early as possible, Mr Pal demanded. []