Garo Hills are set to receive a second railway line in addition to the Mendipathar-Dudhnoi railway line, despite Khasi Hills’ continued opposition to the railway project over the Inner Line Permit issue.
It was announced on Tuesday that a historic railway track would be constructed between Balurghat-Hili (West Bengal) and Mahendraganj-Tura (Meghalaya) through Gaibandha in Bangladesh at a cost of 7,000 crores by the Joint Movement Committee for Corridor (JMCC)
They claim it will be a watershed moment for South Dinajpur (West Bengal) and Meghalaya’s Garo Hills. A total of 150 kilometers will be covered.
The Committee further stated that the Balurghat-Hili rail route is being built and that it will be extended perpendicularly across Bangladesh to connect the Garo Hills.
The JMCC has sent a memorandum to the Union Minister of Railways, requesting that the long-standing demand for railway track building be met, as well as a railway line extension to Meghalaya.
It should be noted that the Ministry of External Affairs conducted a feasibility study in 2017 to look into the possibility of connecting Hili Land Port in West Bengal to Mahendraganj in Meghalaya via Bangladesh’s Goraghat, Palashbari, and Gaibandha.
