Meghalaya: Garo Hills all set to get a second railway line via Bangladesh

Garo Hills is scheduled to gain a second railway line in addition to the Mendipathar-Dudhnoi railway line, notwithstanding Khasi Hill's persistent objection to the railway project over the Inner Line Permit requirement. According to reports, the Joint Movement Committee for Corridor (JMCC) said on Tuesday that at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore, a historic railway track will be built to connect the two states across the neighbouring countries.

They further claimed that it would be a watershed moment for South Dinajpur (West Bengal) and Meghalaya's Garo Hills. Dr. Naba Kumar Das, Mahendraganj MLA Dikkanchi D Shira, and Salmanpara MLA Winnerson D Sangma lead the committee. The Balurghat-Hili train link is also being developed, and it will be extended perpendicularly through Bangladesh to connect the Garo Hills, according to the statement. They have written to the Union Minister of Railways, demanding that the long-standing demand for railway track construction, as well as a railway line extension to Meghalaya, be satisfied.

In 2017, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) conducted a feasibility study to see if it was possible to connect Hili Land Port in West Bengal with Mahendraganj in Meghalaya via Bangladesh's Goraghat, Palashbari, and Gaibandha.