Mizoram residents hope for more tourists from Andhra Pradesh

The new Sairang railway station is expected to develop tourism and boost economy in Mizoram. Many in the State hope that more tourists from A.P. and other Southern States will visit the northeast. Sairang station will connect Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, with Bairabi, Silchar and Guwahati, said officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway. 

The railway link will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 13. The 51-km project was constructed at a cost of about ₹8,000 crore in eleven years, railway officers said.

“The new railway line between Bairabi and Sairang in Mizoram will develop tourism and generate employment in the tribal belt,” said Sampuwei, a resident of Aizawl. “We depend on forests and valleys where there are lot of bamboo groves and banana plantations. Tribal women collect the forest produce and sell in the local shandy,” said Marcus, a shop keeper.

Tourists from Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha visit Mizoram. With a new railway line having been laid up to Sairang, more tourists from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu may visit the northeast, said Lalsanhima, a taxi driver.

“The main occupation in Mizoram is agriculture. We cultivate paddy and some horticulture crops. Now, we expect more jobs in tourism sector as our district has been connected to the main railway line. In Mizoram, there are many tourist places in the hilly areas,” said Danny, a farmer in Kawapuei village.

It would now be easier for the residents to transport vegetables, meat, other essentials and construction material from Silchar and other places, said Sangpui, a student.

People from Mizoram go to Guwahati or Silchar by flight by spending about ₹10,000 or by road, which takes about eight hours. “Now, by train, we can go to Guwahati in three hours, said Simon, a civil contractor in Aizawl.