Dimapur-Tizit railway line sparks discussion in Assembly

Kohima, 27 February (MTNews): Nagaland’s Minister in charge of Transport, Paiwang Konyak, said the department will make every effort to initiate the Dimapur-Tizit railway line project at the earliest. Paiwang was responding today to a query by MLA A Nyamnyei Konyak regarding the proposed railway line being put on hold. He mentioned that the railway project, approved in 2013, was granted a one-time token amount of 4274 crore rupees, earmarked and approved.

He stated that this amount was submitted by the Railway Board to the Planning Commission in 2013, and is now awaiting final approval from NITI Aayog. The minister informed that no funds have been allocated for the project to date. He mentioned that the commencement date of the project can only be decided after the completion of the Final Location Survey and the sanctioning of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). He also mentioned that the Ministry has requested the state to provide land free of cost, and in response, local MLAs of the concerned areas have held discussions with the tribal leaders of the affected areas.

Paiwang informed that tribal hohos in Mon district have affirmed not to demand any compensation for routes passing through forest land but suggested compensating developed areas. He mentioned that landowners in Mokokchung have categorized compensation into two types: underdeveloped areas in forest land can be compensated, while developed areas should be compensated based on categories. Regarding Wokha district, the Lotha Hoho opposed the parallel rail line under its jurisdiction, while for Dimapur and Longleng district, the department is awaiting the report from the members.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton asserted that the Lotha Hoho has not opposed the proposed railway line but has demanded the completion of the Foothill road first, followed by the rail line.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio stated that he was not aware that the Dimapur-Tizit railway line project had been put on hold until today. However, he assured that he would look into it and pursue the matter. Rio emphasized that connectivity is the most important component for the growth and development of the people.