Guwahati: The proposed railway project connecting Kokrajhar in Assam with Bhutan’s major commercial hub Gelephu is expected to be completed within three years, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials said on Monday.
NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava said two cross-border rail connectivity projects with Bhutan are currently planned — a 69-km line from Kokrajhar to Gelephu, and a 20-km line between Banarhat in West Bengal and Samtse in Bhutan.
Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), NFR, Hitendra Goyal said construction of the Assam project is likely to be completed within three years once work formally begins. He added that the Assam government has been supportive in facilitating the project.
“The state government has been positive and helpful in taking forward the work,” Goyal said.
However, officials said the West Bengal stretch is facing multiple hurdles, particularly related to land acquisition, leading to slow progress.
“The land required passes through four tea gardens. The state government in West Bengal has been slow to respond and land acquisition has become a problem. A timeframe for its completion cannot be provided at the moment,” an official said.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier announced both projects, which are expected to significantly boost trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges between India and Bhutan.
Officials noted that Gelephu and Samtse are major export-import hubs along the 700-km India-Bhutan border. Gelephu is being developed as a ‘mindfulness city’, while Samtse is being promoted as an industrial town by the Bhutanese government.
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The Kokrajhar-Gelephu line has been declared a Special Railway Project, allowing for fast-tracked clearances and land acquisition.
