Guwahati, July 2: In a move that will be very welcome to the Northeast, the Centre has decided to provide security cover to work sites of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

Of 76 different sites identified as requiring security cover, Delhi has agreed to provide protection to 45 sites at different project locations, sources said. The move came after much concern was raised over the fact that work was being held up owing to the lack of security.

A total of 13 people, who were working at various project sites, was killed by militants last year. Most of the sites are under the Lumding-Silchar broad gauge project.

These figures were revealed at a meeting convened by the DoNER ministry in New Delhi on June 19 to discuss rail connectivity in the Northeast.

Though work is in progress on the Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion line after the incident last year, it is still rather slow as many contractors are not willing to work owing to the prevailing situation.

Adequate security cover will be required for completing the project on time, sources said.

The meeting decided that security for every worksite on the Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion national project would be provided on the lines of the Kumarghat-Agartala new line project for curbing extortion and militant activities.

The meeting decided that state governments and the Union home ministry should address security concerns at the project sites. It noted that the protection provided by the Tripura government at rail project sites was exemplary and worth emulating by other state governments.

It was also noted at the meeting that problems about providing security, clearing forest land and land acquisition were leading to a “wastage of capacity”. Dispur was urged to resolve these issues expeditiously.

The meeting decided that there was a need to estimate security requirements and ensure that security considerations do not stand in the way of meeting financial or physical targets.

“A comprehensive monitoring mechanism, with representatives from all stakeholders, should be established to regularly and frequently review the progress of work and the removal of roadblocks,” the minutes of the meeting stated.

The meeting noted that only four per cent of the country’s railway network is located in the Northeast. At the same time, it observed that the railway ministry has consistently spent over 10 per cent of its gross budgetary support (GBS) on the Northeast. This has been increasing year after year and has now reached almost 15 per cent of GBS.