The chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Binoy Tamang, on Wednesday said explosives should not be used to dig tunnels for the Sevoke-Rangpo (Sikkim) rail line as the region falls under seismic zone-3 and is prone to earthquakes.
“Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong are landslide prone areas, and the underground explosions may cause problems to the local people. They can rather use drilling machines to dig the tunnels,” Mr Tamang said.
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As the project finally kicks off after a series of hindrances, Mr Tamang said they have already submitted their “requests and concerns” to the agencies concerned, including the Railways and the Defence departments, but that they are yet to hear back from them.
“Although we have given our no-objection certificate, we have kept the same in a ‘stay’ as we can’t bear losses and give Sikkim the benefits. Yes, it is a matter of national security and we are not causing any hindrance, but we just don’t want them to use any kind of explosives,” he said.
The proposed rail project will cut through reserve forests and a major chunk of the area falls under West Bengal, especially the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was approved in 2008, and the tracks were expected to be completed in 2015. However, the project hit hurdles as the tracks will cut through the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary and forests of Kurseong, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and East Sikkim, and wildlife activists had objected to the construction of the project.
After a long-drawn court battle, the Supreme Court finally cleared the decks for the project in February 2016. “The agencies concerned should also work on welfare projects in the area, like they can construct schools and colleges (for the local people who will be affected by the project),” Mr Tamang, who was in the town on Wednesday, said.
