Despite the restricted movement of trains in the Northeast region since the past two weeks, transportation of goods and passenger commutes were affected, though Tripura has food stocks for a month, an official said on Tuesday. Passenger and goods trains were affected due to heavy landslides in addition to damaged railway tracks in Assam’s mountainous Dima Hasao district since April 25. The route is a connecting link for South Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram. Trains were restricted from moving between Jatinga-Lumpur and New Harangajao stations under Lumding division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). "Debris from the mudslides have been removed railway tracks that pass through the hilly areas have been partially rectified. For this, trains are operating during the daytime while services are halted at night along the hilly route," a senior NFR engineer said. He further added that railway personnel were monitoring the situation closely through eight watch towers. However, he said that resuming normal train services through Dima Hasao district was uncertain as railway tracks were yet to be fully restored. Tripura’s Food and Civil Supplies Department director Nirmal Adhikari recently reviewed the situation during a meeting with representatives of the Tripura Merchants' Association (TMA) and Tripura Wholesale Grocery Merchants' Association (TWGMA). An official, on the condition of anonymity, said that the state has food stocks for nearly a month, however, the state government will discuss the issue at a higher level. The state government put restrictions on the sale of petrol and diesel from May 2 due to the restricted movement of trains, including goods trains, connecting the state with the rest of the country. Earlier, Additional Secretary of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, put a restriction on the sale of petrol and diesel given the constraint in their supply due to the restricted movement of goods via the Railways. All types of vehicles including two wheelers will get petrol and diesel from petrol pumps in a stipulated quantity due to the restrictions.
