Tripura gets fuel supply after Guwahati-Agartala rail services resume

Agartala, June 30: In a major relief to residents of Tripura, a railway wagon carrying fuel reached the state on Sunday night, following the restoration of the vital Agartala-Guwahati railway line.

Officials from the state transport department confirmed on Monday that the resumption of goods movement has eased concerns over essential supplies, with more consignments en route.

The arrival of the fuel-laden wagon, coupled with upcoming goods trains carrying food grains and other essentials, prompted authorities to declare the state "free from any kind of shortage."

Earlier, Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury had reassured the public that there was no shortage of food grains, although a temporary dip in fuel availability had been reported.

Sumit Lodh, Director of Food and Civil Supplies, had said on June 26 that the state had stocks of rice sufficient for 86 days, wheat and pulses for 50 days each, sugar for 22 days, and salt for 30 days.

However, he noted that fuel reserves were comparatively lower, enough to last only four to five days.

The restoration of the Lumding–Badarpur hill section — specifically the heavily damaged Jatinga Lumpur–New Haflong stretch — came after multiple landslides triggered by incessant rainfall had severely disrupted rail movement.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) had resumed limited services on June 29, with full operations restarting Monday.

The first goods train, an empty rake, departed New Harangajao at 10:21 am, marking the full reopening of the critical route.

Officials expressed confidence that the restoration of rail connectivity would ensure a steady supply of essentials and accelerate the return to normalcy in Tripura after weeks of logistical bottlenecks.

PTI