Cooch Behar MP urges old route to Kolkata via Bangladesh

Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar Lok Sabha MP Jagadish Chandra Basunia urged the Railways to revive the old Railway line from Cooch Behar to Rongpur in Bangladesh and further extend it upto Kolkata. He also raised issues regarding an unfinished Railway Overbridge, in the Parliament on Monday.

“There is an old Railway line from Cooch Behar to Rongpur in Bangladesh via Dinhata. The line was shut down in 1971 with a dilapidated Railway bridge. I would urge the Railways to restart the route and also extend it till Kolkata. This would enable people from North East India to travel to Kolkata or further down south by saving time. The route would be short by 300 to 400 km,” stated Basunia.

This has been a long standing demand of the people of Cooch Behar. Rajendra Kumar Baid, member of Cooch Behar District Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “We have demanded the opening of this Railway many times. This time the matter has been raised by the MP himself. If this Railway line opens, the people of Cooch Behar and North Bengal will benefit a lot from the business point of view.”