- NET Web Desk
As per an official report, the state of Sikkim is expected to get rail connectivity with the rest of India by 2023. The report came after the 44.98-km long Sevoke-Rangpo railway line was set to become operational within two years.
A high ranking Railway official, Anshul Gupta, the general manager of the North-East Frontier Railway said, “The Sevoke-Rangpo rail line would become operational from 2023. Despite the difficult terrain, land-related hiccups, and very difficult land strata, the project would be completed in 2023.”
It may be mentioned that the foundation stone for the rail connectivity was laid by the then railway minister Mamata Banerjee in 2009 and was supposed to be completed by 2015.
Railway officials said that the Prime Minister’s office and the Railway Board have set December 2023 as the project completion target. An official from the Indian Railway Construction Company, which is implementing the project, said that 30% of the work has been completed.
The line, which will connect West Bengal and Sikkim, was estimated to be completed at the cost of ₹1,339.48 crore. But because of the delay in the construction, the cost has escalated to more than ₹5,000 crore.
