Meghalaya in the North East of India, means "the abode of
clouds" in Sanskrit. This state
borders Bangladesh and Assam. The
capital is Shillong, known as the "Scotland of the East". English is the official language of
Meghalaya. Meghalaya has predominantly an agrarian economy with a significant
commercial forestry industry. It is also a major logistical center for trade
with Bangladesh.
PM Modi fulfilled a long
nurtured dream of Meghalaya on Railway map.
Modi flagged off a train between Meghalaya’s Mendipathar and Guwahati, a
distance of 131km, and laid the foundation stone for a 51.38km-long new broad
gauge railway line between Bhairabi and Sairang in Mizoram. As the Prime
Minister held the green flag at the NF Railway Sports Stadium at Maligaon, the
train chugged out of the new station at Mendipathar amid the cheers of
thousands who gathered there to be a part of the “historic moment.” With his
maiden visit to the Northeast as Prime Minister beginning today, Modi
emphasised improving connectivity, seen as the region’s major bottleneck for
progress. He will visit Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura during his four-day
visit. Underlining his government’s resolve to accord priority to the
development of the Northeast, Modi said he had heard that according to vastu
shastra, if the northeastern corner of the house was well maintained, the
entire house could be taken care of. He said for India to be prosperous, the
development of the Northeast is a priority.
He reminded the gathering
about the commitment of Rs 28,000 crore in the first budget of his government
to building new railway lines in the region.
It is stated that the plan to connect Meghalaya was envisaged in 1880
when the British wanted to link Shillong (the capital of the composite Assam
province) with Calcutta through Mawsmai, Cherrapunjee, Companyganj, Sylhet and
Goalandu. The project, however, did not materialise.
The Rs 275-crore project
was ready in March this year and received the safety clearance in August.
Nearly 10.26km of the track falls in Assam. Lauding Meghalaya chief minister
Mukul Sangma, who was also present, Modi said connectivity, including optical
fibre network system in the region, would help local youths get jobs. Assam
governor J.B. Patnaik, Meghalaya and Mizoram governor K.K. Paul, Mizoram chief
minister Lal Thanhawla, Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, Union
minister for sports Sarbananda Sonowal and railway board chairman A. Kumar
attended the function. Over 3,000 people gathered at Mendipathar railway
station to witness the event. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma is quoted as telling The Telegraph, “When Modi waved the green
flag, I felt Garo hills is moving forward to a better future.”
Station Name Arrival Km Speed Elev
Mendipathar
0
36
65m
Nolbari 07:15 9 32 85m
Dudhnoi 07:35 19.1 55 50m
Amjonga 08:11 29.1 56 49m
Rangjuli 08:23 39.4 21 50m
Dhup Dhara 08:50 48.6 57 49m
Singra 09:01 58.1 18 51m
Boko 09:29 66.3 52 48m
Bamuni Gaon 09:39 74 70 49m
Chaygaon 09:50 85.6 54 48m
Mirza 10:05 98.3 60 51m
Azara 10:17 109.3 35 52m
Kamakhya Junction 10:40 122.1 11 55m
Guwahati 11:20 129.1 - 60m
Prime Minister is also quoted as saying - "Railway facilities are the same as they were 100 years back.... Privatise the railway stations and modernise them," and that Railway Stations should be better than airports as most travellers are poor people. Modi said the Indian Railways have the potential to become the backbone of the country's economic activity. "The upper middle class in India wants to go for visiting places once or twice a year. They keep searching for good places. If we have good connectivity, then they will come to North-East as it is full of natural beauty and lovely people. "Once infrastructure is developed, rest all will be done by the public," Modi said. Good news for the people of India…. North East is elated to be a part of this moment and becoming part of Railway map of India with the running of the first passenger train. With regards – S. Sampathkumar
1st Dec 2014.
