The proposed Byrnihat-Shillong railway project has died a natural death with the Meghalaya government gearing up to return the funds meant for land acquisition under the project to the Ministry of Railways. An official said that the government will around Rs 209.37 crore to the Ministry and the necessary paper works have begun.
The funds were placed with the Deputy Commissioner of Ri-Bhoi on March 30, 2017 for acquiring land for the railway project in the district. The development comes just days after the government constituted a committee headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to discuss the pros and cons of the railway projects in Khasi-Jaintia Hills. It may be mentioned that the pressure groups in the state have not allowed the government to construct railway line even for goods trains over the fears of influx.
The proposed Tetelia-Byrnihat railway line failed to take off after pressure groups halted the railway project in 2017. The cost of the proposed 20.5-km railway line linking Tetelia in Assam and Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi was estimated to cost around Rs 496 crore. The length of the track in Meghalaya was just 2.5 km and the project was supposed to culminate at Byrnihat.