B.K. Handique

Guwahati, Aug. 9: DoNER minister B.K. Handique will embark on a morale-boosting tip to the North Cachar Hills district after the railways assured him that the gauge conversion project in the volatile area will be completed in three years.

The tour aims at conveying the Centre’s eagerness to fast-track development to the residents and officials of the trouble-torn district. Though no date has been finalised yet, Handique is likely to visit NC Hills later this month.

The visit follows after he extracted an assurance from the railways to complete the gauge conversion project by 2012.

The decision to visit the district was taken last month soon after a meeting with home and railway ministry officials in Delhi to review the projects in NC Hills vis-à-vis security.

Particularly worrisome is the 201km stretch of the 368-km Lumding-Silchar-Jiribam gauge conversion project. The stretch passes through NC Hills. So far only 43 per cent work has been done along this stretch.

The meeting was the outcome of an observation made by a railway official in Shillong on June 24 during Handique’s interaction with the chief ministers of the region to find out a way to expedite the development process through DoNER by removing the constraints.

The official indirectly pointed out how insurgency was delaying work for the 201km stretch — from Lumding to Silchar — of the gauge conversion project.

In Shillong, Handique, however, asserted that development projects cannot be held to ransom by anybody or any force and he would take up the deployment of additional security in the district with the home ministry which agreed to help in whatever way possible.

Last week, the home ministry agreed to provide additional security.

“At the meeting, involving Handique and home ministry officials the railways assured that it would complete the project by 2012 and ruled out deployment of additional security now. Lack of adequate security was cited as one reason for contractors not executing the project,” a source said.

“Now with railways’ commitment to complete the project, the minister feels that he could take a trip to the district and impress upon officials and the residents about the Centre’s seriousness on initiating peace and development in the district and win their confidence to get things moving. It will go a long way in boosting the morale of the officials,” the source added.