NDA (I) 2022 General Ability Test · Question 130 of 150

Correct — C, Manipur. Of the four, Manipur is the state whose rail link was being extended into the hills in this period: the broad-gauge Jiribam–Imphal project carried the network to the Jiribam–Khongsang section (operationalised around 2021–22), pushing Indian Railways deeper into Manipur. Ladakh has no railway at all, and the lines meant to reach the capitals of Sikkim (Sivok–Rangpo) and Mizoram (Bairabi–Sairang) were still under construction.

• (a)Mizoram — Mizoram's Bairabi station was linked to the network back in 2016, and the Bairabi–Sairang line toward Aizawl was still under construction — so this was not the 2021 event.
• (b)Ladakh — Ladakh has no operational railway line; the Bilaspur–Manali–Leh line is only a proposal.
• (d)Sikkim — Sikkim had no operational railway; the Sivok–Rangpo line meant to bring the first train into the state was still under construction.

India has been steadily extending broad-gauge railways to its remaining unconnected states, mostly in the Northeast and the Himalayas. Manipur's connectivity comes via the Jiribam–Imphal line, a major project that includes some of the world's tallest railway bridge piers in the Noney area.

The trick is that all four are hard-to-reach hill or mountain regions, so any could seem plausible. The discriminator is which one actually had rail service extended around 2021 — Manipur — while the others' lines were either absent (Ladakh) or still under construction (Sikkim, and Mizoram's Aizawl link).

• The Jiribam–Imphal broad-gauge line is extending Indian Railways into Manipur's hills.
• Its Jiribam–Khongsang section was operationalised around 2021–22.
• Ladakh has no railway; the Bilaspur–Manali–Leh line is only proposed.
• Sikkim's first rail link (Sivok–Rangpo) and Mizoram's Bairabi–Sairang line were still under construction.

• Assuming Ladakh or Sikkim, as famous remote regions, already have railways — they do not (yet).
• Forgetting that a state can be partly connected (Mizoram's Bairabi) without its capital being linked.

Asks which remote state gained rail connectivity in a given year — track the Northeast and Himalayan line completions.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Jiribam–Imphal railway line, notable for very tall bridge piers, is being built in which state?

  • (a)Mizoram
  • (b)Manipur
  • (c)Nagaland
  • (d)Tripura

  Answer(b) Manipur — the line carries Indian Railways into the Manipur hills.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which of the following currently has no operational railway line?

  • (a)Manipur
  • (b)Tripura
  • (c)Ladakh
  • (d)Assam

  Answer(c) Ladakh — the Bilaspur–Manali–Leh line is only proposed.