GUWAHATI, Aug 7 - The Assam Rail Passengers� Association (ARPA) has called upon the State government and MLAs to hold a comprehensive discussion on issues affecting railway infrastructure of the region in the Budget session of the Legislative Assembly and submit a list of demands to the Centre based on the deliberations.
Dipankar Sharma, secretary of ARPA, said that if necessary an all-party team of legislators headed by the Assembly Speaker should also meet the Railway Minister in New Delhi and hand over a memorandum listing the demands of Assam with regard to upgradation of railway infrastructure in the State.
�We are disappointed that no issues regarding the needs of the State as far as Railways is concerned were raised by any of the MLAs during the first ten days of the ongoing Budget session. As the Budget session will resume tomorrow after the recess, we call upon the State government to take the initiative to have a discussion on the issues where MLAs can put forward their suggestions. Based on that, an all-party team can hand over a list of demands to the Railway Minister. This has been done by other state legislatures in India and the Assam Legislative Assembly should also go for similar action,� Sharma said.
The Budget session will resume tomorrow and go on till August 13.
�Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass recently met the Railway Minister and raised the issue of the Barpeta-Agyathuri alternative line. However, it would be more worthwhile if a full-fledged team consisting of members of all parties under the leadership of the Speaker submits a comprehensive list of demands,� Sharma said.
He added, �The New Bongaigaon-Agyathuri line is still awaiting clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. The rate of track utilisation in most lines of Assam has already crossed 150 per cent. In other states, double-tracking and alternative lines have been sanctioned even when utilisation rate of old lines is much less. But in Assam work on double-tracking is progressing at a snail�s pace.�
Sharma said with BJP in power both at New Delhi and Dispur, the time is good for Assam to derive maximum benefits in the railway sector. �Besides, for the first time Assam has a junior Railway Minister, so there is an added advantage,� he said.
