Aizawl/Guwahati, Sep 9 Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Tuesday held a meeting with senior officials to review preparations for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on September 13, officials said.
An official of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Prime Minister would also address a public gathering at the Assam Rifles ground on September 13 and the public meeting would be organised in connection with the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project.
In the meeting, held at the CM’s conference hall, Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena gave a detailed account of the arrangements made so far.
Senior officials of various departments and stakeholders discussed their responsibilities and plans to organise both the inauguration programme and the public gatherings.
The CMO official said that the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive on September 13, and a public meeting would be held at the Assam Rifles ground in Aizawl.
The Prime Minister would inaugurate the Bairabi–Sairang new railway line and flag-off three new express trains, the official said.
The three express trains include Aizawl–Delhi Rajdhani Express (Anand Vihar terminal), Aizawl–Kolkata Express and Aizawl–Guwahati Express.
According to the official, in addition to the railway projects, the Prime Minister would inaugurate two new educational institutions and lay foundation stones for six new development projects.
The 51.38 km Bairabi (near Assam's Hailakandi district)-Sairang (near Aizawl city) railway project will make Aizawl the fourth capital city in the Northeast region to be connected by railways after Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar.
Senior officials of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), led by General Manager (Construction) Arun Kumar Chaudhary, are making hectic preparations to give final touches to the railway project and arrangements for the inauguration.
Union Ministers and senior officials of several ministries, including the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tribal Affairs, Road Transport and Highways, would be present at the events.
NFR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, earlier said that the 51.38-km-long Bairabi-Sairang new line railway project is considered an engineering marvel of Indian Railways, built at an estimated cost of Rs 8,071 crore.
The project consists of 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges and includes tunnels with a total length of 12,853 metres, with the longest tunnel (Tunnel No. 3) spanning about two km.
The height of bridge number 196 is 114 metres, which is 42 metres taller than the Qutub Minar, the CPRO added.
The project also includes five Road Over Bridges and six Road Under Bridges. This new line project also includes construction of four new stations -- Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang.
Despite the challenging terrain, the NFR has accomplished remarkable work in extending rail connectivity to Aizawl, overcoming significant geographical and engineering hurdles to make this long-awaited project a reality, CPRO Sharma said.
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