Headlines
Railways to build station near China border in Arunachal
Panaji, April 11
Just days after it was
revealed that China was planning a railway link to Nepal with a tunnel
under the world's highest peak Mt Everest, Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar said on Saturday Indian Railways will soon set up a station in
Arunachal Pradesh near the India-China border.
"A draft of the
MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is ready and will be signed soon,"
Parrikar said, adding he has spoken in detail about the project to
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
The defence minister said that
the "gravity" of the border issue between China and India has come down
as far as Arunachal Pradesh is concerned.
The announcement
assumes significance in view of the Chinese foreign office saying this
week that the "huge dispute" over Arunachal Pradesh was an "undeniable
fact".
In the past, China has objected to any step taken by India
in context of Arunachal Pradesh, including high-level visits by leaders
and announcement of new projects there.
State-run China Daily
had reported this week that China was planning to build a tunnel under
the 8,848-metre high Mt Everest, the world's highest peak, to extend its
railway network in Nepal.
The Chinese plan to extend the
Qinghai-Lhasa railway line to link it to Nepal's capital Kathmandu. The
540-km long proposed railway line is likely to pass through tunnels
under Qomolangma, as Mt Everest is known in Tibet.