Agartala, August 02, 2023: Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday evening asked the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) officials to enhance security measures in the trains to curb the rampant narcotic smuggling in the state. He also discussed various issues related to the state’s railway infrastructure with the NFR delegation.

In a meeting with the NFR General Manager (Operations) Sunil Kumar Jha, Dr Saha raised the issue of narcotic transport using trains and security lapses on the part of the railway authorities. He sought the cooperation of the NFR and emphasized on increasing the strength of security personnel in the railways.

A press statement issued by the Information and Cultural Affairs department informed that the meeting also covered several aspects of the ongoing railway projects in the state. Jha apprised Dr Saha of the progress and plans of the NFR in terms of electrification, connectivity, modernisation and passenger services.

Jha informed Dr Saha that the electrification work on the Pecharthal-Kailashahar-Dharmanagar rail track, covering a distance of 41.75 kilometers, is expected to be completed by March 2024. This is the first phase of electrification in the state.

Jha also said that the NFR has started work to upgrade the single-line railway tracks to double-line from Haflong in Assam to Sabroom in Tripura. The survey for the 243-kilometer stretch is expected to be completed by June 2024.

Jha further said that the Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link Project, which will connect Agartala to Gangasagar and Dhaka to Kolkata in Bangladesh, is progressing rapidly and expected to be completed by October this year.

Jha also said that the NFR is considering introducing Agartala-Mumbai, Agartala-Jammu, and Agartala-Puri Express train services, along with Agartala-Guwahati Inter-city train service. He also said that the proposal to increase the number of coaches in local DEMU trains and run additional passenger trains on the Agartala-Dharmanagar route is under consideration.

Jha also apprised Dr Saha of three alternative rail connectivity projects, namely Dharmanagar-Belonia (178.72 km), Belonia-Feni (2.12 km), and Dharmanagar-Belonia-Feni (2.12 km) routes, which are awaiting approval from the Railway Board.

Jha also informed Dr Saha about the Amrit Bharat Station project, which aims to upgrade and modernize three railway stations in the state – Dharmanagar, Kumarghat, and Udaipur. The project, which requires a budget of Rs 90.70 crore, will improve passenger facilities, cleanliness, lighting and tunnel maintenance at these stations.

The NFR delegation included General Manager Sunil Kumar Jha and other officials, while the Secretary to CM Dr. P. K. Chakraborty and Subrata Chowdhury, Additional Secretary of the State Transport Department, were present at the meeting.