The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has opened a Pandora's box in connection with the ambitious Dimapur–Kohima (Dhansiri–Zubza) new railway line project.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has opened a Pandora's box in connection with the ambitious Dimapur–Kohima (Dhansiri–Zubza) new railway line project, which is being executed by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Construction Organisation. In a report presented in Parliament earlier this week, the PAC observed that the strategic 78.42-km project, which aims to connect Nagaland's capital to the broad-gauge railway network thereby easing the state’s heavy dependency on road transport for connectivity, is faced with several issues, including inadequate initial surveys, designs not backed by cost-benefit analysis, and poor contract oversight, resulting in unprecedented cost escalation by more than sevenfold, from INR 850 crore during sanction in 2006–07 to INR 6,663.20 crore by May 2022. The committee went on to state that these factors have led to slow physical progress of the project. However, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the NFR has recently claimed that the project is on track and is expected to be completed by 2029. There appears to be more to this project than meets the eye. While budget considerations and timely completion are important aspects of any project, the PAC's observation that the pre-construction survey for the Dimapur–Zubza section did not adequately address the construction challenges posed by the Neo-Himalayan terrain should be a matter of concern. While recommending that the Railways Ministry institutionalise a robust pre-project survey before initiating any major project, the committee also urged it to review all ongoing and future railway projects in the Northeast.
The PAC's recommendation should be taken seriously for more reasons than one. Too many infrastructure projects that are supposed to transform people’s lives have turned tragic due to the failure to investigate and understand the fragile topography of the Himalayan region. In 2023, a section of the Silkyara Bend–Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand caved in during construction, trapping more than 40 workers before they were rescued, raising safety concerns and risks associated with carrying out major development projects in ecologically fragile areas like the Himalayan region, including the whole of Northeast India. A similar tragedy struck last month when an under-construction head race tunnel of the NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim collapsed, claiming the lives of 25 workers. Experts believe the disaster could have been avoided had strict safety protocols been followed and thorough geological assessments carried out before excavation began. Alarmingly, the PAC's recent report points to similar concerns in the ongoing Dimapur–Kohima new railway line project, which has 15 road underbridges and 21 tunnels spanning a total length of 31 km. This underscores the need to strictly adhere to standard tunnelling procedures, including continuous monitoring for flammable gases and comprehensive geological assessments before beginning any excavation work. Underestimating tectonic risks in a seismically active region like the Northeast and implementing development projects based on faulty surveys could prove costly.