Supongmeren urges Rly minister to extend BG Express to Tuli

Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), S. Supongmeren Jamir, Tuesday reiterated the long-standing demand for the extension of the BG Express from Mariani Railway Station in Assam to Tuli Railway Station in Nagaland.
NPCC through its communications department said the MP raised the issue in Lok Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session of parliament.
Supongmeren pointed out that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly had already adopted a resolution on April 30, 2025 regarding the matter, which was subsequently conveyed by the state transport department to the general manager (construction), Northeast Frontier Railways, Maligaon, Guwahati on May 14, 2025.
MP emphasized that the issue he was raising was not a request for a new service but an extension of an existing passenger train on a railway line that had already been constructed but remained unutilised.
Therefore, Supongmeren appealed to the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, to consider the demand on priority, adding it would greatly benefit the people of Nagaland.
The Lok MP also highlighted the limited presence of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in Nagaland.
He pointed out that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have expanded their NABARD initiatives to cover wider areas. However, Supongmeren said Nagaland continued to remain largely uncovered.
Out of the 17 districts in the state, he pointed out that only five districts were currently covered through the Dimapur regional office with around 15 staff, while four districts were being managed by two Assistant General Managers without any supporting staff leaving 12 districts without proper NABARD establishments.
MP, therefore, urged the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, to appoint the required staff and ensure that all districts of Nagaland were adequately covered under NABARD.
Supongmeren expressed hope that the Centre would address the issues at the earliest in the interest of balanced development and connectivity in Nagaland and the North Eastern region as a whole.