New Delhi (IANS) | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday flagged off Assam’s first Vande Bharat Express through video conferencing, which will connect Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri. He took the occasion to take a jibe at the previous governments for indulging in corruption and neglecting the connectivity and development of the North Eastern states. Along with the semi-high speed train, Modi also dedicated to the nation the New Bongaigaon-Dudhnoi-Mendipather and Guwahati-Chaparmukh electrified rail sections. He also inaugurated the new DEMU/MEMU (workshop for trains) shed at Lumding.
Addressing the event virtually, Modi said it is a big day for rail connectivity in the Northeast including Assam.
He said, three projects related to Northeast connectivity are going on simultaneously. In a first, Northeast got its first Made-in-India Vande Bharat today. Second, about 425 km of railway tracks between Assam and Meghalaya have been electrified and thirdly, the DEMU/MEMU (workshop for trains) shed has come up at Lumding.
He also accused the previous governments of indulging in corruption and neglecting the development and connectivity of the northeastern states.
He said, before the decade of 2014, there were records of scams in various sectors. The worst hit by these scams were the poor and the less developed regions. Our government gave priority to the welfare of the poor.
To hide their past failures, some people say that a lot of work was done in the Northeast earlier also, he said. These people made the people of the Northeast wait for decades even for basic amenities. The North East has suffered the brunt of this unforgivable crime.
Modi also said that infrastructure is for all, equally, without any discrimination. Therefore, this structural construction is in a way true social justice as well as true secularism.
He also said that today the whole world is talking about the infrastructure work being done in India because this infrastructure makes life easier. The Prime Minister said, this infrastructure creates employment opportunities. This infrastructure is the basis of rapid development. This infrastructure empowers the poor, dalits, backward, tribals, every such deprived.
Modi said, the last nine years have been of unprecedented achievements for India to build a New India. Only yesterday the country got the grand and divine modern Parliament of independent India. This is the Parliament connecting thousands of years old democratic history of the country with our prosperous democratic future.
He further said that after coming to power, his government gave top priority to the welfare of the poor. From home to toilet for women, from water pipeline to electricity connection, from gas pipeline to AIIMS Medical College, road, rail, waterways, port, airport, mobile connectivity – we have made full strength in every area, he said. Has worked since.
Modi said that in the last nine years, the budget for the Railways has been increased manifold as compared to the pre-2014 phase. He said, the average rail budget for Northeast was around Rs 2,500 crore whereas this time the rail budget for Northeast is around Rs 10,000 crore.
He said, along with speed, today Indian Railways is also becoming a medium to connect hearts, connect society and connect people with opportunities.
It is also the first Vande Bharat service in the Northeast.
The travel time of this train is expected to be saved by about one hour as compared to the existing fastest train connecting the two places as it will cover the distance of 410 km in five and a half hours.
This is the 18th Vande Bharat Express service, which became operational from Monday.
It will run six days a week and stop at six stations – New Alipurduar, Kokrajhar, New Bongaigaon and Kamakhya including New Jalpaiguri and Guwahati Junction.
The train will leave New Jalpaiguri at 6.10 am and reach Guwahati in the afternoon. Vande Bharat Express will leave from Guwahati at 4.30 pm. And will return to New Jalpaiguri at around 10:20.
–IANS
