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Lumding-Agartala BG work hampered by insurgency

By Correspondent

AGARTALA, June 14 � The much-delayed broad gauge conversion work of rail track from Lumding to Agartala is expected to be completed by 2012, the Assembly was informed here on Monday.

The BG conversion work on the 394-km rail track was kicked off in 1996 but has not made �much� progress due to the militancy in NC Hills. Of late, the on-going work has been put on the fast track to complete the work within the stipulated time.

Replying to a notice initiated by CPM MLA Manindra Chandra Das, Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey informed the House that Chief Minister Manik Sarkar had a meeting with General Manager of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) on February 10 to review the progress of the ongoing BG conversion work. In the meeting, the GM said that the ongoing work from Lumding to Badarpur has made satisfactory progress during the past few months. �The BG conversion work from Lumding to Agartala is expected to be completed by 2012�, the GM assured.

However, opposition leader Ratan Lal Nath raised objection on the statement of the Transport Minister that it was the law and order problem in Assam�s NC Hills which had hampered the normal pace of the work.

Nath pointed out that the Assembly rules don�t permit discussion on a subject related to other States. But Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath did not pay heed to it.

Dey also claimed that the GM NFR had made the revelation to Chief Minister during his meeting and added that the factual truth could not be averted.

The Minister further said that the State Government had requested the NFR authority to seek Assam Government�s help to expedite the BG work. Besides, the government is rendering all possible help to complete the project at the earliest, he said.

The Transport Minister also informed the House that only three months would be needed to connect 110 km stretch of rail link from Kumarghat to Agartala with BG facility.

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