A railway passengers’ body on Tuesday staged a protest at Lower Assam’s Rangia demanding the Central government to construct a new rail bridge over the Brahmaputra at Saraighat to take care of long-term passenger traffic as well as the trade and commerce needs of the State.
The protest launched by Rangia Joutha Rail Sangram Samiti in front of Divisional Railway Manager’s office at Rangia in Kamrup district was also joined by several other local organisations.
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The Saraighat bridge being the only point of communication between the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra for around 150 kilometres on both the eastern and western directions, is of importance not only from the point of view of trade, commerce and communication, but is also of major strategic value.
The Samiti also demanded the Railway authorities for doubling of the railway line from Bongaigaon to Agyathuri via Rangia, to form separate rail zone for Northeast and to construct sub-urban terminal at Sorbhog in Barpeta district.
Union minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain in 2016 said doubling of railways track has been a critical bottleneck in Assam and that the process of doubling of railway line will start from September 12.
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Gohain had said that Survey has been approved / ordered for several new projects. These include a Second Rail Bridge at Saraight near Guwahati, construction of new Railway Line from Salona to Khumtai, from Sibsagar to Jorhat and from Tezpur to Silghat.