Work on the ambitious railway project to connect Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, with the railway network has begun.
Sources from Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that "Bhoomi Poojan" function at a proposed bridge site on Dikrong river at Doimukh was performedrecently. The 33-km rail line, that would connect Itanagar with Harmuti in Assam, would be completed by 2012 at an estimated cost of Rs 156 crore. Theconstruction would include 18 major brides and 20 minor bridges.
If completed within stipulated time, Itanagar will become the third state capital in North-East to have a rail link. The landlocked and mountainous North Eastern state presently has no railway network within its territory.
Government sources from Itanagar informed that the district administration of Papum Pare was expediting land acquisition process and will handover the 10 Km length of land to NF railway by the end of this month. The total length of the first phase railway line is about 11.45 km.
NF railway sources said the proposed RCC Bridge over river Dikrong will join Doimukh with Tigdo and Yupia. The bridge will be 270 metres long with 7 pillars and will be the longest bridge on the proposed route. The railways plan to complete the construction of 7 pillars within by March 2010.
The Itanagar-Harmuti rail link project was announced by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh during his visit to the state in January 2008. The Prime Minister's Arunachal package also included, among others, a greenfield airport in Itanagar, besides operationalising Pasighat, Along, Daporijo, Ziro and Teju airports, helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang and construction of a two-lane 1840 kms long Trans-Arunachal Pradesh highway from Tawang to Mahadeopur. It is learnt that Governor Gen (Rtd) JJ Singh was personally monitoring all the projects that were announced by the Prime Minister.