The Vice President Mohd. Hamid Hansari has asserted that the centre is fully aware to the need to significantly upgrade road, rail and air connectivity in the entire North-East region. He was laying the foundation stone for the first ever rail line to Sikkim at Rangpo in Sikkim on Friday. <br/>The Railway Minister Ms.Mamta Banerjee said that there is a plan to connect Gangtok to Darjeeling and Mirik as well. The State Governor Mr. Balmiki Prasad Singh and the Chief Minister Mr.Pawan Chamling were also present on the occasion. AIR Gangtok correspondent reports that 1340 crore rupees rail project connecting Rangpo in Sikkim to the rest of the country via Sevoke in West Bengal will be completed by 2015. The 53 kilometer long Rangpo – Sevoke rail route will have five stations, 100 small bridges, 13 tunnels including one with a length of around 2 kilometer and four manned railway crossings. The rail project will provide a much needed alternative connectivity to this land-locked mountainous border state, the national highway 31 A get disrupted by frequent landslides particularly during the monsoon. <br/>