NRDC delegation met Union minister at New Delhi 

COOCH BEHAR, Aug. 22: A 15-member delegation of New Railway Demand Committee (NRDC) comprising members from West Bengal and Assam met the Union road transport and national highways minister Mr TR Baloo at New Delhi today. They submitted a memorandum to the minister. The NRDC leaders demanded introduction of water transport service on Bay of Bengal through Brahmaputra in Assam. Shipping service was there in Brahmaputra in the past and this is required again to carry merchandise produced in this region, they told the minister. 

Recently a Central survey team visited Dhubri and reportedly demanded 8-bigha land only. On such a small piece of land a seaport cannot be built and this raised doubt over the intention of the authorities, joint convenor of NRDC Mr Chandi Pal said over phone from New Delhi. They requested the minister to reintroduce the waterway and shipping service for the greater interest of the people of this region. 

Hearing the argument of the NRDC leaders the Union minister instructed the concerned officials of the ministry to send a survey team on 29 August to examine the possibilities of the proposed waterway and the port at Dhubri in Assam, according to the state forest minister Mr Ananta Roy who is a member of the visiting delegation. 

Railway standing committee chairman Mr Basudeb Acharya (MP), state forest minister Mr Ananta Roy, Mr Tarini Roy (MP), Mr Tamser Ali (MLA), Mr Akhil Pramanik and Mr Rajendra Kumar Baid were in the delegation that met the minister. Joint convenors of NRDC Mr Chandi Pal and Mr Tazmul Haque (Assam) led the delegation. 

The NRDC leaders also met Union forest and environment minister Mr Namo Narayan Meena and speaker of Lok Sabha Mr Somnath Chatterjee and talked over various issues today. They will meet Union railway minister Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav tomorrow to discuss over speedy completion of the proposed New Maynaguri –Jogighopa railway project, Mr Pal said. []