Sitamarhi–Jaynagar–Nirmali line (via Sursand)

Sitamarhi-Jaynagar-Nirmali Via Sursand Railway Line^[1] is a proposed railway line in East Central Railway zone by Indian Railway. It was announced by Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in 2007. He laid the foundation inauguration of this proposed railway line at Sursand on 5 January 2008. Its length is 188.9 km.^[2] Due to negligence of the government, this railway line has yet not completed in the past 16 years. In 2022, the member of parliament and BJP leader Ashok Kumar Yadav from the Madhubani Lok Sabha constituency wrote letter to the union minister of Indian Railway Aswani Vaishnav for the complition of the proposed railway as soon as possible. The union minister Ashwini Vaishnav has assured that the project will start soon. According to the railway ministry 345 acres of land is required for acquisition. There are some issues with the acquisition of the land. This railway line will connect two districts of Bihar from Sitamarhi to Nirmali (Madhubani) via Sursand and Jaynagar. It also connects border areas of Nepal near Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts of Bihar. The cost of the project was estimated Rs. 2,821 in 2007.^[3] But due to the delay in starting the project, the estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 10000 crores in 2022. The Indian union railway ministry has assured that the project will start soon.^[4][5]

About 80 km of the railway line falls in the Sitamarhi district and the remaining railway line falls in the areas of Nirmali and Jaynagar in the Madhubani district of Mithila region in Bihar, India. The proposed railway station in the Sitamarhi district are Bhairokothi, Bariarpur, Bathnaha, Lattipur, Digghi, Gonahi, Bela, Parsa, Dostia, Chilra, Hariharpur, Dalkawa, Rajbara, Pakdia, Naranga, Parihar, Masaha, Banauli, Sursand, Bhittamod and Choraut. Similarly Nirmali and Jaynagar are prominent railway station in the Madhubani district.^[6]

The acquisition of land for the project has yet not completed even after 16 years of the inception of the project. The development of this project is very slow due to unavailability of funds to the project. According to the former members of the Railway Advisory Committee, Suresh Chandra Chaudhary and Vishnudev Bhandari, the people of the border areas were hopeful that in the Railway Budget 2023, sufficient funds would be provided for the proposed Sitamarhi-Jaynagar-Nirmali railway line. But the budget in 2023 of Indian Railway has allotted only thousand rupees to this proposed railway line so that the project will not closed.^[1] Till March 2022, only Rs 3.20 crore has been spent on this project. According to the RTI information given by the Railway Board, this project has also been suspended for the further notice along with 17 railway infrastructure projects among 52 ongoing railway infrastructure projects in Bihar.^[2][7]

1. ^ ^{a b} "View Project - Department of Economic Affairs - InfrastructureIndia.gov.in". www.pppinindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
2. ^ ^{a b} "सुनहरे सपनों अधूरे बन कर रह गया सीतामढ़ी-निर्मली रेलखंड". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2021-08-18.
3. ^ "View Project - Department of Economic Affairs - InfrastructureIndia.gov.in". www.pppinindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
4. ^ "सीतामढ़ी जयनगर निर्मली 188 किमी नयी रेल लाइन पर ग्रहण". Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
5. ^ "सुनहरे सपनों अधूरे बन कर रह गया सीतामढ़ी-निर्मली रेलखंड -". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
6. ^ "सुनहरे सपनों अधूरे बन कर रह गया सीतामढ़ी-निर्मली रेलखंड -". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
7. ^ "मंत्री रहते लालू ने की थी रेल लाइन बनाने की घोषणा, 15 साल में सर्वेक्षण से आगे ही नहीं बढ़ सकी - Lalu Prasad Yadav had announced the construction of Bihta to Aurangabad railway line as Railway Minister could not progress beyond the survey in 15 years". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-06-17.