Anxious moment for CSOs as rail project progresses
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 23, 2023 -

WITH each report on progress of the Jiribam-Imphal railway project, it could be assumed that civil societies campaigning for safeguard of cultural identity and economic rights of the indigenous communities must be getting increasingly anxious.

No doubt, completion of the rail project will ensure better connectivity and the masses could avail the cheapest mode of conveyance to any corner of the country.

Arrival of train service would also mean regular transportation of goods and help in neutralising the current practice of the business community dictating the price of consumer and commercial items not to mention about curtailing collection of unauthorised taxes by armed outfits along the national highways.

For the elite class of the society, increase in the number of flight services in the last few years has been facilitating expeditious travel and they wouldn't be interested in whether or not Manipur gets into the railway map.

Similarly, for students looking for higher education in other states and ordinary citizens seeking treatment in reputed medical institutions, the existence of train service to and from Imphal would mean both affordable and convenient means of travel.

However, for the civil society organisations which had been spearheading the campaign to secure constitutional safeguard of the natives, periodical reports about progress of the rail-line project are certain to give the campaign leaders many a sleepless nights as reintroduction of the existing inner line permit system has been simply serving the purpose of regulating entry of outsiders and not preventing the influx as perceived or expected.

Therefore, there would nothing to cherish for the civil bodies about the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) informing that the Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project, which it describes as one of the crucial connectivity projects in the North Eastern region, is in an advanced stage of completion.

As per the information shared by NF Railways chief public relations officer Sabyasachi De, work for the new line railway project, among other connectivity projects, is also underway in full swing to connect Imphal with the rest of the country.

It is said that the Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project, which is about no km in length, includes multiple tunnels and bridges in tough terrains.

As per the latest update, out of 52 tunnels, tunnel No. 12 is the longest tunnel of the project with a total length 10.275 km including 529 metres RCC Ramp with a parallel safety tunnel of length 8.3 km, passing through the most complex geological terrain having fragile soil type condition.

While NFR has been showing great perseverance in executing the rail project in such tough conditions, including frequent disturbances caused to the project authorities by the locals over issues related to land compensation, damages done to the environmental and abduction for ransom by armed outfits, concerned civil societies would be worried that progress of the project and inevitable presence of train in Imphal would ultimately see huge influx of migrant workers.

As such with every success tale scripted by the NFR, the civil bodies would be definitely weighing the pros and cons of Manipur figuring in the railway map of India.