Sikkim will be connected with rail link in five years:Mamata Banerje

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today exuded confidence that her Ministry will complete the 52.7 kms broad gauge rail link project between Sevoke in Siliguri and Rangpo in East Sikkim within its stipulated time period of five years.

''The rail link project from Sevoke to Rangpo is a difficult task but we can do it. If we can do such projects in Jammu and Kashmir, we can set up rail tracks in similar difficult areas of the Northeastern region like Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh,'' Ms Banerjee said during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Sevoke-Rangpo rail link here at Sikkim Mining Ground, 41 kms from Gangtok.

Vice-President M Hamid Ansari had laid the foundation stone of the project sanctioned at a cost of Rs 1339.48 crore. The project, upon completion, will be a landmark for the Railways, Ms Banerjee said in her address.

''The Railways will not be complacent after the foundation stone has been laid. We will work hard and complete the project within the scheduled time period of five years in the difficult mountainous terrain of Sikkim. The state will be connected with the rest of the country in five years,'' she asserted. The Union Minister said the Sevoke-Rangpo rail link will be extended to Gangtok later and the Sikkim capital will be also connected with Mirik in Darjeeling district. She also directed the Railway authorities to set up two new computerised Passenger Reservation Systems (PRS) in Gangtok and Rangpo.

-- (UNI) -- 30CA12.xml

Viewer's Comment

Comments Not Available

More Stories