AGARTALA, Feb 27 (TIWN): CPI-M and Congress is not leaving any chance of blaming central government and Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu in the name of neglecting Tripura from the railway budget but it is to be mentioned here that it is the central government led by Narendra Modi who’s initiative has at least introduced Bg track and railway service in the state. For the land locked state Tripura, it is a dream come true where in just about 2 years of rule in the central, Modi’s Act east policy has shower development in the state in true sense which CPI-M and congress never thought of during their times. The allegation raised by both CPI-M and congress is totally illogical, as the state where there is no basic infrastructure of running train from where will it board bullet train from Agartala. How can CPI-M clamour of running bullet train from Tripura when they did not even lay the track during their rule?CPI-M in its years of rule in the state and years of rule by UPA government at the central could not even introduce the BG railway service in the state where as under BJP in just less than 2 years of time introduced railway service in the state connecting Tripura in the railway map. If CPI-M wished for true development they could have improved railway connectivity in the state long back but due to the “behind the curtain” relationship between CPI-M and congress kept Tripura deprived from the stages of dev elopement in past years.

Although, Tripura expected to hear about the introduction of superfast trains from the capital Agartala but how can a bullet train run in the state where there is no infrastructure for  running a mere passenger rail.

It is to be mentioned here that people from different aspects of society have criticised Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the name of neglecting Tripura but the ground reality says that it is BJP who gave introduced BG railway in the state.

Making it clear that better connectivity to the north-eastern states is the government’s top priority, railway minister Suresh Prabhu said Mizoram and Manipur will soon have broad gauge network.
However, focusing on the benefits of entire NE it is said that NE has got a world class railway station with integrated coach maintenance facilities and a project worth Rs 517cr proposed at Agyathuri on the north bank, about 20km from Guwahati, all Northeast state capitals to be brought under broad gauge network by 2020, total outlay for projects under NF Railway in 2016-17 is Rs 5340cr. The average increase in outlay during 2014-2016 over 2009-13 is 151%, electrification from Katihar to Bongaigaon likely to be completed by March 2018, Rs 550cr sanctioned to NFR for Bogibeel bridge works this year, and world’s first bio-vacuum toilet developed by the Indian Railways in Dibrugarh-Rajdhani Express.

Presenting the Railway Budget for 2016-17, he said Indian Railways has opened the long-awaited Lumding-Silchar broad gauge section in Assam, thus connecting Barak Valley with rest of the country. It also brought Tripura capital Agartala on to the broad gauge network.