GUWAHATI, March 23 - Maligaon-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has floated tenders for carrying out final location survey of the ambitious elevated corridor project for the city.
�Tenders have been floated for carrying out the final location survey. Once the agency is finalised, it would be given 14 months� time for completion of all survey and submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR),� Pranav Jyoti Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR, told The Assam Tribune.
He added that the process of tendering for the actual project on the ground and issues like land acquisition would start after completion of the final location survey.
�It will be a 10.3-km long elevated corridor built on pillars. The width would be sufficient to accommodate four tracks with stipulated distance between them. The final location survey would finalise other technical specifications like height clearance from ground, nature of track, whether ballasted or ballast-less, would be decided after completion of the final location survey,� said Sharma.
Asked if the railway authorities are in touch with the Assam government on the issues like land acquisition and other matters related to the project, he said, �Regular discussions are held on various issues of common concern with the State government. Since only the final location survey will pinpoint the exact alignment and technicalities, the exact nature of land acquisition required will only be clear after completion of the final location survey.�
The elevated corridor is proposed along the existing railway alignment from New Guwahati to Kamakhya.
�The basic aim is to eliminate the 13 level crossing gates lying in Guwahati urban area. The work would also include substantial modifications to Kamakhya, Guwahati and New Guwahati railway stations,� said Sharma.
It is noteworthy that former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had, during a visit to Guwahati in November 2016, said the Railway Ministry would undertake an ambitious Rs 5,000 crore project for development of train services in the city, which would involve construction of four elevated tracks from Kamakhya to New Guwahati as well as a new state-of-the-art passenger terminal at New Guwahati.
Prabhu had said the State government and the Railway Ministry would undertake the project as a joint venture and that a special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be formed for the purpose.
