GUWAHATI, Feb 15 � Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has called upon Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to create a new Railway zone exclusively for the North East region.
In a letter to the Railway Minister, Gogoi said that the creation of a new zone in the interest of the region should be included in the Railway Budget for the coming financial year.
Gogoi said that lack of connectivity is one of the main reasons for backwardness of the region and pointed out that improvement of Railway connectivity can go a long way in the overall development of North East.
The Chief Minister called for introduction of new daily trains between Guwahati-Delhi, Guwahati-Bangalore, Guwahati-Kolkata and super fast trains between Guwahati-Mumbai via Nagpur, Guwahati-Goa and Dibrugarh-Trivandrum. He also called for electrification of the Railway lines in the State.
Gogoi called for double tracking in the State to improve connectivity and upgradation of the Railway workshops at Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh for manufacturing coaches. He said that steps should be taken to set up an alternative terminus at Narengi to ease the congestion in the Guwahati Railway station and to construct a road parallel to the existing Railway line in the city. He also said that Railway track should be laid on the second bridge over the Brahmaputra at Saraighat and expedite the process of implementing the existing projects, including construction of the Bogibeel bridge and gauge conversion projects.
The Chief Minister also demanded setting up of a railway museum in Guwahati, said an official release.
