ITANAGAR, April 18 - Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today welcomed the sanctioning of eight new railway lines connecting several locations in the foothills of the strategically-located mountainous State by the Centre, including the three proposed railway lines extending to Tawang, Aalo and the one connecting Pasighat-Roing-Tezu.
On insistence from the Chief Minister, the eight new railway lines � Itakhola to Seijosa (18 km), Doomdooma-Namsai-Wakro (96 km), Dangri-Roing (60 km) Naharkatia-Deomali (20 km), Lekhapani-Nampong-New Khamlang-Deben (75 km) and Tinsukia to Pasighat via Kanubari (300 km) were sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways, informed a press release issued by the CMO here.
Terming it as �a dream come true�, the Chief Minister expressed that ultimately things have started to move when the General Manager of Northeast Frontier Railway (Construction), HK Jaggi along with his officials called on Khandu at his office here today.
The Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister and the Railway Ministry for sanctioning of these projects in a meeting attended by WRD Minister Kamlung Mossang.
�I have to complement the Railway Ministry for the decision. The Centre has been kind in accepting our proposals,� he said and added that it was a very courageous decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend railway network till Tawang.
Preliminary survey for the three railway lines � Bhalukpong-Tenga-Tawang (378 km), North Lakhimpur-Bame-Aalo-Silapathar (247.85 km) and Pasighat-Roing-Tezu-Parsuram Kund-Rupai (227 km) � has already completed and detailed location survey will commence soon, informed the visiting Railway officials. It was also informed that the survey for the eight railway lines has been sanctioned.
The Chief Minister requested the Railway officials for posting of a dedicated Chief Engineer (Survey) for Arunachal to monitor the ongoing survey works to which they agreed.
Of the three railway lines, the Bhalukpong-Tenga-Tawang route, is the most ambitious project proposed to be constructed at a cost of about Rs 40,000 crore, which will involve construction of 21 bridges and 145 kms of tunnels. The Indian Railways proposes to construct a 29-km tunnel between Dirang and Tawang. It is estimated that the entire railway route, when completed, will cut down the existing road distance of 285 km to 166 km, informed the Railway official.
The survey of Pasighat-Tezu-Parashuram Kund-Rupai line is expected to complete early as the area is plain land with no high steep mountains to cut through, informed the Railway officials.
The Railway officials also gave presentation on the status of the 26-km Murkongselek-Pasighat rail line for which the land to be acquired has been identified and is on the process of acquisition.
