Railways translate 26-year-old dream into reality, Mizoram's Bairabi-Sairang Line ready
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
Aizawl: First conceptualised in September 1999, the Bairabi-Sairang railway line has finally brought Mizoram's capital Aizawl on the country's railway map after overcoming unprecedented challenges in terms of alignment, short working seasons and frequent landslides.Officials said the dream which Railways saw in 1999 turned into a reality when it was commissioned in June this year by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.The 51.38-km long railway line will soon be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.In 1999, when engineers learnt that a preliminary survey was not possible due to thick forest, poor visibility, and other local issues, it was agreed to conduct a reconnaissance survey, which involved a rough route assessment, according to documents."Under a Preliminary Engineering cum-Traffic Survey (PET) a detailed examination of the route is done. As a PET survey was found not feasible, the Board was requested to change it to Reconnaissance Engineering-Cum-Traffic (RET) survey, which the Railway Board agreed on July 15, 2003," a senior railway official said.He added, "The RET survey for the Bairabi-Sairang Rail link was carried out by the Northeast Frontier Railways in March 2006. Based on this, RITES was asked to carry out a pre-construction Survey and Geo-Technical Investigation in 2008 for a new BG Railway line from Bairabi-Sairang. Accordingly, RITES submitted its final report in August 2011."Considering an important link between Mizoram and the rest of the country, the then UPA government declared this project as a "National Project" in 2008-09.Subsequently, PM Modi laid its foundation stone on November 29, 2014.The NF Railways completed the land acquisition process by 2014-2015 and a year later, in 2015-16, it started the construction in full swing.Vinod Kumar, chief engineer of the project, said, "The working season in the area is of very short duration and limited to only four-five months (i.e., from November to March) in a year and no work is possible from April to October due to the prolonged duration of monsoon with heavy rainfall.""The alignment is traversing through hilly terrain, deep valleys and gorges requiring construction of tunnels and tall bridges/viaducts.Also, due to frequent interruptions to traffic on the National Highway between Guwahati to Silchar, transportation of materials is a big challenge even today," he said.Engineers working on the site said the project access/site roads are prone to frequent landslides and failures and become slippery even after a single rain, resulting in the stoppage of movement of materials at the site."The project access roads are narrow and with steep gradients, on which big trucks/trailers cannot be used. Therefore, materials brought from outside on big trucks/ trailers were transhipped into small carriers and then taken from the highway to the project site," an NFR official said.He added," Transportation of large cranes for erection of bridge girders was very difficult. These were transported after dismantling of major parts and reassembling at the site."Engineers working on the site said even local labour was unavailable in Mizoram and all the labourers were brought from other states."Mizoram is the remotest state in the Northeast with the project located in completely hilly areas with no mobile network at most of the project sites and therefore the labourers hesitated to come to Mizoram for work and there has always been a shortage of labour in the project," Kumar said.He added that suitable construction materials (i.e. sand, stone chips etc.) were also not available in Mizoram and were transported from adjacent states like Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya etc.According to the NFR, the line has 48 tunnels covering 12.853 km, 55 major and 87 minor bridges, five road overbridges and nine road underbridges, with one of the bridges numbered at 196 boasting of a height of 104 metres, 42 metres taller than the Qutub Minar. PTI
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
14 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Emmanuel Macron calls PM Modi, discusses Gaza & Trump meeting on Ukraine war
French President Emmanuel Macron called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared his assessment on the recent meetings between US President Donald Trump, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Modi to share his 'insights' on the meeting with Trump in Alaska. The Prime Minister's office said on Thursday: 'Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.' 'The leaders exchanged views on the ongoing efforts for peaceful resolution of conflicts in Ukraine and the West Asia region,' the PMO said. 'President Macron shared assessment on the recent meetings held between the leaders of the Europe, US and Ukraine in Washington. He also shared his perspectives on the situation in Gaza,' it said. The PMO statement said Modi reiterated India's consistent support for peaceful resolution of conflicts and early restoration of peace and stability. Modi posted on X: 'Had a very good conversation with my friend President Macron. Exchanged views on efforts for peaceful resolution of conflicts in Ukraine and in West Asia. Reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the India-France strategic partnership.' Macron said, in a post on X: 'I have just spoken with Prime Minister @NarendraModi. We coordinated our positions on the war in Ukraine in order to move towards a just and lasting peace, with strong guarantees for Ukraine and Europe's security.' 'On trade issues, we agreed to strengthen our economic exchanges and our strategic partnership in all areas — this is the key to our sovereignty and independence,' he said. Following up on the AI Action Summit held in Paris last February, the French President said, 'we are working towards the success of the AI Impact Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2026.' 'For more effective multilateralism, we agreed to work closely together in preparation for the French presidency of the G7 and the Indian presidency of the BRICS in 2026,' Macron said. The PMO said that the leaders also 'reviewed progress in the bilateral cooperation agenda, including in the areas of trade, defence, civil nuclear cooperation, technology and energy. They reaffirmed joint commitment to strengthen India-France Strategic Partnership…' The PMO said Macron conveyed support for early conclusion of the India-EU FTA.
Hindustan Times
44 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Modi, Macron discuss efforts to end conflict in Ukraine and Gaza
New Delhi French President Emmanuel Macron dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to discuss ongoing efforts for the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in West Asia. French President Emmanuel Macron is among European leaders playing a leading role in efforts to ensure the security of Ukraine amid a push to organise negotiations with Russia to end the war started by the Russian invasion in February 2022. (HT PHOTO) Macron is among European leaders playing a leading role in efforts to ensure the security of Ukraine amid a push to organise negotiations with Russia to end the war started by the Russian invasion in February 2022. Macron also called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who offered to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks. 'Had a very good conversation with my friend President Macron. Exchanged views on efforts for peaceful resolution of conflicts in Ukraine and in West Asia. Reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the India-France strategic partnership,' Modi said on social media. Macron said in a social media post that he and Modi 'coordinated our positions on the war in Ukraine in order to move towards a just and lasting peace, with strong guarantees for Ukraine and Europe's security'. A readout from the Indian government said Macron shared his assessment of recent meetings between the leaders of Europe, the US and Ukraine in Washington, and his perspectives on the situation in Gaza. Modi reiterated India's 'consistent support for peaceful resolution of the conflicts and early restoration of peace and stability', the readout said. The two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, civil nuclear cooperation, technology and energy and pledged to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership. Macron conveyed his support for the early conclusion of a free trade agreement between India and the European Union. Macron added on social media that the two sides agreed to strengthen economic exchanges and the strategic partnership in all areas as this is the 'key to our sovereignty and independence'. 'Following up on the AI Action Summit held in Paris last February, we are working towards the success of the AI Impact Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2026,' he said. The two sides will also work closely to prepare for the French presidency of the G7 and the Indian presidency of Brics in 2026 for more effective multilateralism, he added.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
After Mughals, British looted India, Congress, SP did the same: Yogi
: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday alleged that India was first looted by the Mughals, followed by the British and the remnants of the nation's wealth was plundered by the Congress and Samajwadi Party. He claimed that such a state of affairs led to a situation where both the state and the country were left grappling with an identity crisis. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurates the Shri Cement Plant in Eta under the new industrial policy. in Eta on Thursday. (ANI) Adityanath was addressing a gathering in Etah district of Aligarh division on Thursday after inaugurating Shree Cement Plant in the Malawan area of Etah. 'Remember, first the Mughals looted, then the British destroyed and whatever was left after the Mughals and the British, the Congress and Samajwadi Party destroyed and created an identity crisis in front of the country and the state,' he said. Referring to Etah district, he said, 'Mafia and criminals were calling the shots here (in the past) while the poor were helpless. The situation has changed now with a zero tolerance policy for crime. New projects are coming up, including power plants. New avenues of jobs and business are coming up.' Attacking the previous governments, he hit out at both the Congress and SP, accusing them of having a 'narrow vision' and prioritising their own families over the public good. 'Whether it is the Congress or Samajwadi Party, their vision never aligned with Prime Minister Modi's vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Due to the narrow vision of these parties, these people sought everyone's support but served only their own families,' he said. 'As a result, the state and the country lagged behind, poverty increased and anarchy kept increasing due to their goons,' he said. 'There was no safety, neither for businessmen nor for police stations,' he added. The chief minister said the nearby Jawaharpur thermal power plant generates 1,500 megawatt (MW) of power, while the new cement unit will create 500 direct jobs and more than 3,000 indirect opportunities. 'This investment is not just about jobs but also about strengthening trade, transport, and distribution networks — the real foundation of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat,' he added. Recalling the Congress era, Yogi said even cement was once rationed and available only through connections, making house construction extremely difficult. 'How could development happen with such intent and policies?' he asked. Contrasting this with today's growth, he said that India, which fell to 11th place in the world economy by 2014 due to the Congress and the SP policies, has now risen to fourth place under PM Modi and is set to become the third-largest economy within two years. Uttar Pradesh too, he said, has risen from the seventh-largest state economy in 2017 to the second-largest today. He credited the turnaround to strict action against mafia and rioters, which restored investor confidence. 'UP has received investment proposals worth ₹45 lakh crore, out of which ₹15 lakh crore have already been grounded, creating employment for 60 lakh youth,' he said. He added that 60,244 youth, including many from Etah, were recruited into the police on merit, without discrimination. Under Mukhyamantri Yuva Yojana, 70,000 young entrepreneurs have received interest-free, guarantee-free loans to establish their own enterprises, he said. The chief minister also highlighted Etah's traditional identity, noting that the bells and ghungroos of Jalesar remain an integral part of temple worship and music gatherings. Linking this cultural heritage with modern development, he said UP is preparing its roadmap for Viksit Bharat 2047.
