Rail services in northeast still disrupted

AGARTALA/SILCHAR - The northeastern states of Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam continued to remain cut-off from the rest of India by railway network even after two weeks following heavy landslides and damage to tracks, an official said Tuesday.

Tripura and Mizoram governments have asked the central government to make alternate arrangements for supply of food grain as the two northeastern states are facing a critical shortage of food grain for the public distribution system (PDS).

Rail services in southern Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram have been suspended since June 15.

“Railway workers led by senior officials have cleared most of the debris in many places in southern Assam’s North Cachar Hills district. The huge mud slides covering more than 150-metre of rail track near Harangajao are being cleared,” Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesman Subrata Hajong told reporters.

He said the torrential rains during the past three days also washed away soil and stone chips under the railway track along 300-metre area in Mailongdisa area in the North Cachar Hills district further delaying the resumption of railway services.

According to the railway spokesman, it would take another three-four days to set the track right and clear the way for the trains to run. “We are expecting to restore rail services in the region by July 2,” Hajong said.

Senior NFR officials and engineers have been camping at the working sites, 300 km south of Assam’s main city Guwahati, to supervise the works.

The metre-gauge railway line from Guwahati passes through southern Assam connecting land-locked Tripura’s capital Agartala and parts of Manipur and Mizoram with the rest of India.

Meanwhile, the Tripura and Mizoram governments have asked the central government and Food Corporation of India (FCI) to build a buffer stock of rice and other essential commodities for the northeastern states for the next three months within the next fortnight before monsoon intensifies in the region.

“Officials of the Tripura government met senior officials of FCI and union ministry of food and civil supplies in New Delhi last week and asked them to ensure immediate stocks of essentials carrying the food grain by trucks,” Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Manik Dey told the Tripura assembly Tuesday.

The minister said the central government has earlier announced building of buffer stocks of food supplies at least for three months in each northeastern state. “Both food and civil supplies ministry, FCI and railway authorities are negligent in this regard.”

“If the centre would not make alternative arrangements of transporting food grains to the region, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam would face a severe crisis from the second week of next month,” the Tripura minister added.

Officials of the Mizoram government have held meetings with the FCI officials in Guwahati and Silchar to build buffer stocks of food grain in the mountainous state at the earliest.

“People of southern Assam may face similar crisis of PDS supplies if the concerned authorities do not make urgent alternative arrangements for transporting foods from other parts of the country,” an Assam government official told reporters in Silchar.