Railway Board sanctions Rs 43 crore for location survey of Silchar to Lanka alternate rail-route via Chandranathpur

In what is definitely a development of significant pivot, the Railway Board has sanctioned FLS (Final Location Survey) of the Silchar to Lanka alternate rail route via Chandranathpur.

Demand for the alternate route gained momentum after recent landslides and washout of railway tracks in Dima Hasao. The flash floods exposed the loopholes in the in existing railway infrastructure. I has become like a leaking bucket as the Railways continue to spend huge sum every year to renovate the damages cause by natural calamities. Recently, the Indian Railways announced a Rs 180 crore package to renovate the devastation caused by flash floods in May.

The railway board on Thursday, in a letter to General Manager of Northeast Frontier railway sanctioned Rs 43.23 crores for the FLS on the said route.

“Sanction of the ministry of railways is hereby communicated to the Final Location Survey of Lanka to Silchar via Chandranathpur (208)km new line at a cost of 43.23 crore,” states the letter.

The letter was issued with the concurrence of the finance department of the ministry of Railways. This comes as a ray of hope for the people of Barak Valley as the disruption in Railway communication comes as a chaotic and expensive nightmare for the commuters. The cost price of essential commodities increase manifold due to the disruption in services. What also happens in, the air fare leapfrogs with the rise in demand caused by disruption in Railway services.

What happens at the end of the survey is something that remains unknown, but this is a great beginning to state the least.