Agartala, March 7 (IANS): Another 10,000 tonnes of rice will be ferried to Tripura via Bangladesh as train services in the northeastern States have been stopped in southern part of northeast region due to gauge conversion, a minister said here on Saturday.
Train services in Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam have been suspended from last October for track conversion from meter gauge to broad gauge being undertaken by the Northeast Frontier Railways and scheduled to end March 2016 in two phases.
"The Food Corporation of India (FCI) informed us that it will transport another 10,000 tonnes of rice for Tripura via Bangladesh next week," Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS.
He said: "Tripura government has urged the Central government to carry rice for the State regularly via Bangladesh till the railway's gauge conversion works are completed. We want to create a buffer stock of food grain in Tripura before beginning of the monsoon."
The monsoon starts in June and it continue up to September creating a gigantic problem in ferrying food grains, essentials and other goods from other parts of India to northeast via mountainous roads, as the areas are very landslide prone and jagged condition.

Agartala, March 7 (IANS): Another 10,000 tonnes of rice will be ferried to Tripura via Bangladesh as train services in the northeastern States have been stopped in southern part of northeast region due to gauge conversion, a minister said here on Saturday.
Train services in Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam have been suspended from last October for track conversion from meter gauge to broad gauge being undertaken by the Northeast Frontier Railways and scheduled to end March 2016 in two phases.
"The Food Corporation of India (FCI) informed us that it will transport another 10,000 tonnes of rice for Tripura via Bangladesh next week," Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS.
He said: "Tripura government has urged the Central government to carry rice for the State regularly via Bangladesh till the railway's gauge conversion works are completed. We want to create a buffer stock of food grain in Tripura before beginning of the monsoon."
The monsoon starts in June and it continue up to September creating a gigantic problem in ferrying food grains, essentials and other goods from other parts of India to northeast via mountainous roads, as the areas are very landslide prone and jagged condition.