Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 14 2009:
Even as Chief Minister O Ibobi has repetitively stated that the Jiri-Tupul-Imphal rail line will be completed by 2012, the Indian Railways is targeting the completion of the said rail line by 2014 .
According to source available with this newspaper, the Jiri-Tupul-Tupul-Imphal rail lines have been included in the Indian Railways' National project for the North East.
The project, being planned in 2005, has been extensively implemented since 2008 .
Though the state government has expected that the Jiri-Tupul rail line to be completed by 2012, the Indian railway has set 2014 as the target date for completion of the project.
Till March this year, Rs 73.63 crore had been expended in the project.
At the same time, Rs 50 crore has been earmarked in the plan outlay for the project, the source said.
So far, the construction of 0.0 km to 20.5 km has been successfully implemented while there is a plan to undertake construction of the rail line from 63.606 kilometres to 97.9 kilometres.
The Indian Railways has also set a target for the completion of Tupul to Imphal rail line by 2016 .
A Rail Oil Depot is also being planned to be set up at Malom at the cost of Rs 2.86 crore by acquiring 35.615 acres of land, the source said.