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Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Dec. 8 (EMN): A fact-finding team led by Mokokchung’s deputy commissioner will be set up to study the feasibility of reintroducing a passenger train in Tuli as goods train services have resumed.
A decision to set up the team was taken during the district planning and development board’s meeting on December 6 at Tuli additional deputy commissioner’s headquarters.
Agenda were also tabled during the meeting by the Tuli Development Committee (TDC) for deliberation among which the issue of reintroducing passenger train services was one.
Legislator from the area, Amenba Yaden, suggested to the board that Nagaland must approach the ministry of Railways with a proposal for financial assistance as the current railway needs approximately INR 30 crore to revamp infrastructure for passenger services.
The TDC, a subordinate committee of the Tuli Ward Union, stated in its report that when the Tuli Paper Mill was in operation a passenger train was running from Tuli to Mariani. However, with the shutting down of the mill, the passenger service was discontinued.
With the increase in raw materials exports from Tuli valley and its adjoining areas, a goods train service resumed a few years ago which is an indication of serviceability of rail itself, the report stated.
“The board gauge goods train is already running for transporting goods such as stone chip and coal, main station building and residential building needs repairing,” it stated.
The report stated further that the service will directly serve the people of six districts namely Mokokchung, Tuensang, Mon, Wokha, Longleng and Zunheboto, comprising a total of population of 9,99,062 as per 2011 census which is 50.495 percent or half of Nagaland’s entire population.
Currently, the only train station at Dimapur serves these districts only indirectly.
The TDC reported that economically Tuli has abundant natural resources which include coal, stone chips, rubber, timber, plywood, bamboo etc., and medicinal products such as tea, agarwood cardamom, besides horticulture and agriculture produce.
The TDC mentioned that if coupled with the Centre’s Look East Policy, Tuli can become the next commercial hub of the state with the introduction of the passenger train at the earliest. Tuli has great potential to grow because of its fast-growing economic importance on exports of natural and finished products, it stated.
Another agenda proposed by TDC was the establishment of sub-treasury office at Tuli sub-division, in Mokokchung. They claimed Tuli is the largest non-district headquarters in Nagaland and the second largest town in Mokokchung district after Mokokchung town.
They reported that Tuli and its sub-division boast 37 different functioning government offices having 800 state government and central government holders and more than 494 pensioners. Besides, it has government primary schools, high schools and higher secondary institutions and a college in the sub-division.Excluding from private and business transactions the normal salary transactions from three banks in Tuli alone is INR 3,35,00,000, the TDC reported.In connection with this agenda, the additional deputy commissioner of Tuli was tasked to give a detailed report in the next DPDB meeting.For another matter, setting up a health sub-centre at Wameken village, the Tuli medical establishment was instructed to submit a detailed report to the ADC of Tuli, and to be taken up at next DPDB meeting.