Concerns as India builds rail network in remote state near China

Environmentalists fear the project threatens thousands of lives in an ecologically fragile region prone to landslides.

Kolkata, India – India’s ambitious railway project to connect a small northeastern Indian state along its border with China to the rest of the country is raising concerns among local forest dwellers and environmentalists. The project aims to extend the railroad to Nathu La in the Himalayan state of Sikkim, on the India-China border, to facilitate troop movement in case of an emergency. The 45km (28-mile) project, work on which began in 2009, connects Sevoke in West Bengal to Rangpo in Sikkim, with three stations between them, one underground.