Jiri to Imphal rail line: Rail track to be realigned
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 16 2009: Following detection of certain variance in the alignment of the proposed railway track from Jiribam to Imphal, steps have been taken up for realignment of the route at some places. (Briefly reported in our Jan 9 edition under the caption, "Joint control room starts work') .

According to an official source, the steps have been taken up for realignment of the railway track after the member engineers of the Railway Board detected certain variance in alignment of the route from Jiribam to Tupul which is to be laid in the first phase and from Tupul to Imphal which is to be laid during the second phase.

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As per the alignment of the route worked out earlier, the railway track from Jiribam to Tupul was to be laid at the ruling gradient ratio of 1: 80 and that of the track from Tupul to Imphal at the ruling gradient of 1: 60 .

However, after the member engineers of the Railway Board pointed out that there should be no difference in the ruling gradient of tracks from Jiribam to Tupul and from Tupul to Jiribam, steps have been taken up for realignment of the track in some parts of Tamenglong and Senapati district, the official source disclosed.

To be constructed under the Prime Minister's package, laying of the rail track from Jiribam to Tupul in the first phase has already been announced as a National Project by the Prime Minister in February 2005 .

Even if the proposed rail track from Tupul to Imphal to be laid during the second phase of the project has not yet been announced as a National project, nonetheless, after the Railway Board assured necessary funding for the same, a joint meeting of the officials of the Railway Board, Northern Frontier Railways and Railway Nodal Authority of the State Government was held recently.

In the said meeting, member engineers of the Railway Board pointed out that the variance in the gradient of the proposed railway route from Jiribam to Tupul and from Tupul to Imphal should not be there.

The source explained that if the railway track from Jiribam to Tupul is to be laid at the gradient of 1:80, then the proposed station yard at Noney would be further away from Noney Bazar.

However after the realignment Noney Bazar will be nearer by 1.5 Kms.

As the realignment of the railway line is to be carried out in some places of Tamenglong and Senapati district, the Northern Frontiers Railways has also directed the Deputy Commissioners of the two districts to put on halt distribution of compensation to the land owners whose land had been acquired earlier, the source disclosed.

To expedite the task of laying the railway track, a transit office and a guest house of the Railways officials have been constructed inside the MSRTC complex at Jiribam and are ready to be inaugurated, the source informed, adding that there would be progress in the task of laying the railway track if the Railway officials can stay in the guest house and function from the transit office.

Railways engineers are also currently discharging their duties from some designated sites along the proposed route from Jiribam to Tupul.

Along with completion of the construction work on accommodation for the work agencies and the security barrack at Noney, the DGP has been requested to provide the security.

At the current market rate, the estimated project cost of laying the railway line from Jiribam to Tupul, which is being targeted to be completed by 2010 stands at Rs 2714 crores.

The estimation was Rs 727 Crs in 2004-05 .