New Delhi, July 23 (PTI) The Northeast Frontier Railway Zone has suffered damages worth over Rs 200 crore to its tracks and other structures over the past five years, the Centre told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gave the information, responding to questions related to the vulnerability of railway infrastructure in the natural disaster-hit North East region.
The minister attributed the damage to “floods, landslides,” and other such events.
He said the geology of the region is such that it is prone to landslides, and this weakness is always considered at the stage of design and implementation of rail projects.
“Due care is taken in planning and execution of works so that there is minimum damage to the sensitive geological formations of Eastern Himalayas… Railway has undertaken studies and assessments of the environmental and geological impact of railway construction in the North Eastern Region,” Vaishnaw said.
He said geo-technical investigations and environmental impact assessments are always conducted for all major railway projects in the hilly terrain, such as those in Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
“These studies specifically assess slope stability, rock and soil characteristics, vegetation cover and hydrological patterns,” he said.
The assessments are meant to anticipate the risk of landslides resulting from construction activities, as well as to control soil erosion. They also help railways introduce slope stabilisation measures by providing retaining walls, soil nailing, shotcrete and geo-synthetics in hilly terrain, he said.
Vaishnaw said plantation of grass and shrubs on slopes to stabilise loose soil is done, and construction of catch drains and check dams to guide and control debris flow has also been taken up.
“In addition, construction of embankments has been carried on to manage flow and prevent flooding. Tracks are constructed at higher elevations in flood-prone areas to avoid inundation with the provision of adequate culverts, side drains, and waterways to allow smooth discharge of floodwaters,” the minister said.
“… Foundations of bridges are protected from scour by providing protection measures. Structures have been constructed in compliance with seismic codes to ensure mitigation of earthquake-induced damage,” he added.
To avoid disturbance, underground tunnels have been built for railway tracks in place of deep cuttings.
Vaishnaw said that the Railways, in collaboration with Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and IITs, has conducted vulnerability assessments in the North East Regions.
“New railway projects in this region are being designed in accordance with Indian Railways Standards Codes, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Codes. Special attention is given to the design of bridges, tunnels, and embankments in the North Eastern Region,” he said. PTI JP VN VN
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