With train services in a few northeastern states hit for the past two weeks due to landslides in the hill section of Assam, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to expedite the resumption of normal train operations, including goods train, through Assam’s Dima Hasao district.
According to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), passenger and goods train services have been affected in the region since April 25 owing to heavy landslides causing damage to railway tracks after heavy rains lashed the mountainous Dima Hasao district, which is a connecting route to southern Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram.
Officials said that Chief Minister Saha has written to the Railway Minister, requesting him to expedite the resumption of passenger and goods train services.
“The Chief Minister is personally monitoring the situation. He has asked the state officials to maintain close contact with the NFR engineers and officials to know the progress of the ongoing work,” an official said.
Hundreds of workers and technicians, led by railway engineers, are working round-the-clock to restore the train services between Jatinga-Lumpur and New Harangajao stations under the Lumding division of NFR.
Considering the weak railway tracks and soil in the region, the NFR is now operating trains only in the daytime on the hilly route.
According to the officials, the stocks of fuel — petrol and diesel – and other essential goods in southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, and parts of Manipur are not adequate due to the restrictions on the movement of goods trains.
