By IANS
Agartala : The supply of essentials to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and parts of Assam has been hit with railway links to the region suspended since Monday following a goods train accident that killed seven people.
"We have asked the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to make alternate arrangements to maintain supply of rice and other essential commodities," said Tripura food and civil supplies department commissioner B.K. Roy.
Seven people were killed and as many injured Monday when seven wagons and two locomotives of a goods train travelling from Lumding to Silchar in Assam fell into a stream following a bridge collapse in the state's North Cachar Hills district.
The North East Frontier Railway (NFR) has cancelled all trains operating on the Lumding-Badarpur route, which is a lifeline for Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam.
"An alternative bridge is likely to be operational within the next three to four weeks as Army and General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) personnel are being engaged in the restoration work," Roy told reporters quoting railway officials.
Railway safety commissioner Balbir Singh visited the accident site Thursday to ascertain the reasons behind the accident and collapse of the bridge.
"NFR has taken all possible steps to restore the rail service on the Lumding-Badarpur section as early as possible by making alternative arrangements," a railway spokesman told IANS by telephone.