BJP for upgrade of Arunachal Express

ITANAGAR: While praising railway minster D V Sadananda Gowda for his proposal to build three major strategic railway lines in Arunachal Pradesh up to Tawang, a state BJP team, led by president Tai Tagak, has urged him to upgrade the Arunachal Express to a superfast weekly express between Naharlagun and New Delhi during the current fiscal year.
In a recent memorandum to the minister in New Delhi, Tagak said such an initiative would also send a strong message to the people of the northeast, the sensitive border state of Arunachal Pradesh in particular, about the commitment of the Centre in developing the neglected region.
The team, including general secretaries Dominic Tadar and Kurung Kumey and district general secretary Bengia Maph, called on the minister at his office and praised him for earmarking the highest-ever Rs 5,116 crore for various NE projects and announcing seven new trains, including Kamakhya-Bengaluru Premium Express and an AC weekly express train between Naharlagun-New Delhi.
Two daily intercity express trains ? Guwahati-Naharlagun and Guwahati-Murkongselek ? will be introduced during 2014-15, Gowda had said in his first railway budget.
There are 23 ongoing projects in the region of which 11 are national projects.
With higher allocation and close monitoring of work, the minister had said the new Dudhnoi-Mendipathar line, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar gauge conversion, Harmuti-Murkongselek and Balipara-Bhalukpong sections would get commissioned soon facilitating connectivity to the state capital.
Tagak also urged the minister to provide employment to the people of the state in the railways considering their least representation in various ministries and CPSUs.
The minister assured the delegation of cooperation in tune with the NDA government's commitment to augment railway services in the region.
Meanwhile, Tagak has demanded that the state government properly regulate the ILP system and work out a suitable system convenient for travellers to promote tourism.