West Bengal to fast-track land acquisition to take trains close to Doklam
The West Bengal government has fast-tracked land acquisition for a new railway line near the Doklam tri-junction to improve border connectivity. The project, which had been stalled for years, is now being prioritized to strengthen strategic infrastructure.
Why it matters
Improved rail access to the Doklam region is strategically significant for India's border security and regional logistics near the China-Bhutan border.
NEW DELHI: Paving the way for expediting a new railway line to boost connectivity to the border area near the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction, West Bengal govt has given its go ahead for fast-tracking acquisition of around 380 hectares of land. With this, work on the 20-km Chalsa-Naxak new line project that was originally sanctioned in 2011-12 is likely to get speeded up.TOI has learnt that the new section, a vital component of the New Jalpaiguri-Siliguri-New Bongaigaon gauge conversion project was placed in abeyance in Sept 2019 due to non-cooperation from the earlier Trinamool govt in the state. Official records show that railways "de-freezed" (revived) the project in Jan along with five others after a six year hiatus but again failed to make any progress with the lack of support from the state govt's side.They added that soon after BJP formed govt all projects pending for years are being expedited.
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