'Hili-Balurghat rly project in Bengal to be completed by March 2024'
BALURGHAT: The much awaited Hili-Balurghat railway project will be completed by the end of March-2024 as stated by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Katihar Division of Northeast Frontier (NF) Railways, Anshul Gupta, here on Monday evening.
"The concerned railway department will complete the Hili-Balurghat rail project positively by the end of March-2024. At present, the land acquisition process has been geared up by South Dinajpur district administration. The fund allotment for the project and the compensation for the land givers will not be a problem. A notification regarding the matter has already been issued by the concerned rail department," Gupta said during his visit to Balurghat station.
Recently, the Calcutta High Court had directed the Railways to complete the project as early as possible on the basis of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a local regarding the matter.
After receiving the direction, the Railways has geared up the project work.
Notably, the economy of the district will be changed once the project is completed. Hili is an important International land port through which bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh is conducted.
The railway connectivity will help to increase the
trade, revenue and boost the employment sector. Hili had railway connectivity in 1868 but it lost the same after the partition.
In 2011, the then Railways minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a 29.7 km railway extension project from Balurghat to Hili.
The concerned railway authority had started building the pillars on Atreyee and Yamuna. Around 410 acres was identified for the project and the land acquisition process was started accordingly.
The then Balurghat's Trinamool Congress MP Arpita Ghosh had raised the issue in the Parliament. Despite the appeal made by Ghosh, the Railway authority had shown no interest in the project. The PIL petitioner Birendranath Mahato said that he was forced to file the petition in the High Court following the lackadaisical attitude of the Railways towards the project.
