Meghalaya was on Saturday put on India’s railway map as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Mendipathar-Guwahati passenger train.
The Prime Minister, who arrived in the Assam capital — his first stop for his North-East tour — also laid the foundation stone of a new broad gauge railway line between Bairabi to Sairang in Mizoram.
Stressing the importance of North-East’s connectivity, Modi termed the new rail link as an “important occasion” in history and outlined the importance of the North-Eastern part of any house as per Vastu Shastra.
“According to Vastu Shastra, the north-east corner of the house must be proper to keep the house in order. Similarly, if we can keep the North-Eastern part of the country properly, I am sure it would help develop the rest of the India too,” he said, while addressing a huge gathering at the railway stadium at Maligaon area in the city.
Modi also favoured privatisation of 10-12 railway stations saying, “Our railway stations look the same as they did 100 years ago. They should have better facilities than airports as the common man travels through train.”
Modi, who kicked off his four-day tour to the North-East, is the first Prime Minister in 18 years to stay in the region for consecutive days after HD Deve Gowda. Modi’s packed itinerary, involving visits to four States, includes a meeting with the North-East Chief Ministers, addressing the annual conference of country’s top police chiefs, commissioning a power project in Tripura and inaugurating festivals in Nagaland and Manipur.
The passenger train will now run daily between Mendipathar and Guwahati via Dudhnoi.The Railways had planned to start the first train into Mendipathar on April 1, but abandoned the plan due to the Model Code of Conduct due to the Parliament elections.
In Nagaland, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a separate State, Modi will inaugurate the annual Hornbill Festival. He will also inaugurate the Sangai Festival in Manipur.
Modi emphasised on infrastructure development saying, “If we want to develop the North-East region of the country, we must develop the infrastructure in the region,” he said, adding that once the infrastructure is developed, the region will achieve new heights of development on its own.
“The world today acknowledges that this is the century of Asia. If it is true then we must look at the east from the North-East to connect to the Myanmar and other Asian countries through rail network,” he said.
“If we can connect the North-East with Myanmar and other Asian nations, it would open up new vistas here and the youth from the North-East do not have to go to Bangalore and other places in the country for employment opportunities,” he maintained and pointed out that the Rs2,800 crore has been earmarked in this year’s Railway Budget for the Government’s ambitious plan for rail connectivity to the region.
While reiterating his ‘highway, I-way’ concept, Modi said optical fiber connectivity will ensure call centres are set up in the English speaking North-East region.He said the expansion of railways and modernisation will go hand in hand. “Railways are laying around 407 km new tracks in North-East, which accounts for 20 per cent of the total new track laying in the county for this year,” he said.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu along with Chief Ministers of Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram was present.