Perhaps it comes as no news
- in times like Pongal - tickets for Southbound
trains are sold out in a few minutes
within the offline and online window opening with thousands scrambling to make
advance reservations. Virtually every train to destinations within
the State such as Madurai, Salem and Coimbatore as well as Kerala and Karnataka
run up huge waitlists. This when there are so many trains running on these
routes. North East India is
different. In April 2014, Train no. 15696 Agartala Lumding MG Express covering a distance of 408 km in 19 hours connected Agartala in West Tripura with Lumding city in
Nagaon Dist of Assam was in news because it put Arunachal’s capital is finally
on India’s rail map. Sri Narendra Modi flagged-off
another train on 29th Nov 2014, this time putting Meghalaya on the
Country’s rail map after more than six decades of Independence.
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.