Tura, Nov. 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will connect to Meghalaya’s Garo hills on Saturday via video conference as he flags off rail connectivity to the region.

Modi will launch the new train link to Mendipathar in North Garo Hills at 5.15pm from Maligaon in Guwahati. He will also speak to the people of Garo hills as he inaugurates the rail link, the first in Meghalaya.

“Elaborate preparations are being made for the inaugural ceremony at Mendipathar. The town is being dressed up for the gala event,” an administration official from North Garo Hills said.

A galaxy of dignitaries and officials, including former chief minister and Resubelpara MLA Salseng C. Marak, will attend the inauguration.

Mendipathar railway station is located nearly 90km from Tura in West Garo Hills and 220km from the state capital Shillong.

It is connected with Dudhnoi in Assam’s Goalpara district through a broad gauge line covering a distance of 19.75km. The railway link will facilitate better connectivity between Assam and Meghalaya and boost business and tourism potential.

“After years of hard work and persuasion to the resisting forces, Meghalaya is finally on the railway map. It will lead to multi-dimensional growth and socio-economic transformation of Garo hills region. The northern part of Garo hills will now become the commercial centre,” said Salseng C. Marak, former chief minister of Meghalaya and chairman of the Meghalaya State Planning Board.

“It will save cargo cost, travel cost and reduce travel time from Assam to Garo hills,” said Chiang D. Shira, an entrepreneur from Nongalbibra.

There will be one stop along the route to Garo hills — Resubelpara. The foundation for the project was laid in September 2012 by Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma. The chief minister had said during the foundation laying ceremony that the government was keen to extend the Dudhnoi-Mendipathar railway track to Tura and Dobu in Meghalaya.

On January 18 this year, a three-coach train had arrived at Mendipathar as part of a trial run in the presence of Planning Commission member B.K. Chaturvedi.