Aizawl (Mizoram) [India], June 30 (ANI): Eco-friendly LED lighting and solar power installed in the tunnels of the recently completed 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway line in Mizoram, Divisional Electrical Engineer Md Zahid Akhtar said.

Md Zahid Akhtar told ANI, 'We have installed LED lighting in the tunnels, which is environment-friendly. We are also utilising solar power and plan to have a plant for the same in the future.'

He added that the cables installed in the tunnels will emit low smoke in case of a mishap, serving as a safety measure.

'We are also using cables that will emit low smoke in the event of any mishap, and these cables will not release toxic gases,' Akhtar said.

The Bairabi-Sairang railway line in Mizoram is fully complete and awaits inauguration. Connecting Aizawl to India's rail network via Silchar, the project includes 48 tunnels and multiple bridges, marking a major boost to North East connectivity and development.

The Chief Engineer of the Bairabi-Sairang Project, Vinod Kumar, pointed out that the project was sanctioned in 2008-09 and later declared a National project.

He said the biggest challenge has been the season, as the region has a prolonged monsoon season and also has landslide issues.'This project was sanctioned in 2008-09, and later it was declared a National project. Land acquisition was completed till 2014, and then PM Modi laid the foundation stone, and now it has been completed,' Kumar said.

'The biggest challenge has been the season, as this region has a prolonged monsoon season and landslide issues. Additionally, there are issues related to the labour force, as most of them come from other states. We have also designed the project so that it remains unaffected even during the monsoon season. This is the second-highest bridge in Northeast India, and the life of the project is expected to be above 100 years. PM Modi laid the foundation stone in 2014, and we are happy that it is being completed in his tenure only. It is one of the government's achievements in 11 years,' the Chief Engineer added.

The rail project between Bairabi and Sairang was first initiated on November 29, 2014, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi remotely unveiled the project. (ANI)