Gaurav Gogoi writes to Railway Minister; Urges him to extend Vistadome special till Silchar

Today, the Vistadome special has left Guwahati for the second time. After a successful beginning last Saturday, the tourists continue to remain excited to explore the scenic beauty that the hill section of Assam offer. However, as the train stops at New Haflong Railway Station and returns, it leaves the people of Barak Valley deprived of the opportunity. It also leaves a great part of arguably, a more beautiful stretch unexplored.

Many objections to the idea of depriving Barak Valley has been raised so far and today, Congress MP and deputy leader of Lok Sabha from Congress, Gaurav Gogoi raised the issue. He wrote to the union railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw with a request regarding the extension of the tourist special Vistadome trains slated to run from Guwahati to New Haflong further to Silchar (Barak Valley).

“The project’s focus is rightly placed on ensuring connectivity and reaping the economic benefits of tourism in Assam. But it is highly doubtful whether the short distance covered by the proposed train will be able to do either of these. By limiting the train to the Guwahati-New Haflong route, the potential of the trains to attract more tourists is limited. The service should be developed into a longer one that traverses the length of the State and offers a taste of Assam from within the train’s well-equipped and state-of-the-art interiors,” states the letter written by Gogoi.

It adds, “Barak Valley provides for a picturesque landscape, adorned with rich flora and fauna. Sharing its border with Bangladesh, it allows tourists to experience the unique geographical panorama along with the cultural traditions of Assam. Extending the train to Silchar (Barak Valley) will ensure that many more citizens will be able to benefit from the high-speed, modernized trains.”

Gogoi concludes, “I hence earnestly urge you to take cognizance of the matter and take prompt action to ensure the extension of the tourist special trains from Guwahati to Silchar (Barak Valley).”

It is worth mentioning here that former Union Minister of Indian Railways, Piyush Goyal had instructed to run the Vistadome special between Lumding and Badarpur. The same was reiterated by the general manager of Northeast Frontier Railways, Anshul Gupta. However, the decision was altered and Barak Valley was left out.