RailEnquiry

Silchar: Hundreds of protesters on Saturday staged a demonstration in front of the residence of Assam minister for excise and sports Ajit Singh in the Itkhola locality of Silchar.The demonstration was organized by the Lumding-Silchar Broad-gauge Project Demand Implementation Action Committee, an umbrella organization of different NGOs of the Barak Valley. They were seeking immediate completion of the much-delayed 201-km broad gauge project connecting Lumding with Silchar under Northeast Frontier Railway.The members with placards and festoons in their hands raised slogans criticizing the ministers, MLAs and MPs from the Barak Valley for their alleged reluctance in timely implementation of the mega project, which is considered as the lifeline of the Barak Valley, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur.The sports minister was, however, was not at home when the demonstration took place. "We will not rest until the broad gauge and East-West corridor projects are commissioned. The projects are victims of negligence and reluctance of the government and local representatives", said Haridas Dutta, a member of the committee.

The demonstration passed off peacefully and no one was arrested, said a police officer.

This is the part of a series of agitations chalked out by the committee. On Friday, they staged a similar demonstration in front of the house of Assam public health engineering minister Gautom Roy in Hailakandi. Police arrested160 people for breaking Section 144 of CrPc.

On Sunday, the members of the committee will organize a similar programme in front of the house of minister for border area development Siddeq Ahmed in Karimganj.