Railways launches project to link NE states

NEW DELHI: Railways has launched a project to lay new railway lines between Kumarghat-Agartala and Jiribam-Tupul (Imphal Road) and gauge conversion of Lumding-Silchar lines, to provide connectivity between Silchar and state capitals of Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland.

The project would cost Rs 3,450 crore and serve as a lifeline for upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and would result in greater integration of the North-Eastern Region with the rest of India, an official release on Tuesday said.

The government has made an additional provision of Rs 2,200 crore to meet any escalation in the planned expenditure so as to complete these projects by 2010-11, it said.