Title - Govt hands over land for Garo Hills rail project

SHILLONG: Decks have been cleared for connecting Meghalaya with the rest of the country through a railway line as the State Government has handed over land to the Railways for construction of the 19.47-km long broad gauge line from Dudhnoi in Assam to Mendipathar in East Garo Hills.East Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Vijay Kr. Mantri, on Monday informed that the land was handed over to the Railways around one month back.Earlier, the State Government had handed over 65.09 hectares of land to North Frontier Railways authorities for the project.Reacting to a query on the status of work, he said that work was on at a full speed but it has been affected due to the bandh called by militant outfits.Mantri however expressed confidence that the project would be completed within the stipulated deadline of March 2013.There would be a total of 39 bridges on the railway line out of which nine bridges have already been constructed.The sanctioned cost of the landmark railway project was Rs 86.22 crore but revised estimates put the figure at Rs 144 crore till final completion of the project.When asked whether there was any opposition to the railway project, Mantri said, “We are not facing any problems for this project.”Incidentally, proposals for railway lines in Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills have met with stiff opposition from the people.