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Rediff.com  » News » Assam: Railway resumes service in violence-hit hills

Assam: Railway resumes service in violence-hit hills

By K Anurag in Guwahati
June 24, 2009 20:25 IST
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After a gap of 75 days, the North East Frontier Railway has decided to resume passenger train service along the Lumding-Badarpur hill section that passes through the insurgency ravaged North Cachar Hill district after Assam government assured proper security along the route.

A NFR source informed that the passenger train service in Lumding-Badarpur hill section that connects central Assam to south Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur would be resumed from Thursday.

Initially, a pair of Passenger Special will run between Lumding and Silchar.

The passenger as well as goods train services along the hill section was suspended indefinitely from April 11 last after a series of frequent attacks carried out by suspected Black Widow militants on trains that resulted in several deaths.

In such an attack on a passenger train on April 10 near Maibong in the hill district, one person was killed and 17 others injured forcing the Railways to bring the train services to a grinding halt.The hill section is lifeline for supply of essentials to south Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur. Under pressure from the governments of affected states, the Railways resumed the goods train service last week to replenish the depleting stocks of essentials in those states.

The Railways has now decided to resume passenger train service on being assured by the state government to provide adequate security.

The Director General of Assam Police G M Srivastava visited the violence-ravaged North Cachar Hills on Tuesday to review the prevailing situation there.

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K Anurag in Guwahati