Overview

• Saleng A. Sangma wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking a dedicated goods train link from Mendipathar and immediate surveys to enable freight connectivity.
• He urged introduction of long-distance and express services from Mendipathar, including superfast trains to New Delhi, Mumbai and Kanyakumari, and a vistadome service from Kolkata to boost tourism.
• Mendipathar remains Meghalaya’s lone railway station with a single platform and only two passenger trains to Guwahati operating at present.
• The MP said central ministers assured him the proposals will be examined, as several pro-Inner Line Permit groups continue to oppose rail expansion over influx concerns.
• He also pressed to expand and operationalise Baljek Airport to handle ATR 72 aircraft, noting the current 1,120-metre STOL runway supports only 20-seater UDAN flights and citing a May 6 MoU with AAI that he says lacks proper licensing.