New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the BJP-led Central Government had allocated Rs 10,440 crore for improving railway connectivity in the North-eastern states for 2025-26, five times more than budgetary allocations declared from 2009-14 during the UPA regime.
"The Central Government constructed 1,824 km of new tracks in Assam and North-east region since 2014 which is more than the entire rail network of Sri Lanka," said Vaishnaw. Addressing a post budget briefing at Rail Bhawan, Vaishnaw said that 166 new railway tracks have been installed from 2014-25 in comparison to 67 installed during the UPA regime. He said 146 km railway tracks have been electrified in the North-east in the last 10 years. "As many as 18 projects and 1,368 km of new tracks worth Rs 74,972 crore is currently ongoing," said Vaishnaw. He said 60 stations in the northeast will be developed as 'Amrit Stations' for Rs 2,039 crore.
Starting his ministry is prioritising railway safety, Vaishnaw said 237 tenders and works are in progress for installing the Kavach system on 1,189 km route. "Since 2014, as many as 478 rail flyovers and under bridges have been constructed," he said. At least 44 lifts, 37 escalator services have been sanctioned for the North-eastern states. Under the station redevelopment programme, an amount of Rs 788 crore has been sanctioned for the North-eastern states.
Dimapur in Nagaland has been sanctioned Rs 283 crore, Imphal 202.5 crore, Rangpo in Sikkim Rs 187 crore, Mendipathar (Meghalaya) Rs 39.5 crore and Sairang (Mizoram) Rs 76 crore under the station redevelopment programme, the railway minister said.
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