The BJP-led NDA’s march into the North-East has seen the region leverage its untapped potential to emerge as one of the fastest growing markets
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the North-East during his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort could hardly be missed. Proudly, he spoke about the rapid strides made by the region in the last four years and what it meant for its people. There has been massive spurt in highways, waterways, airways and information-way (i-way). The region that faced neglect and apathy over the decades suddenly seemed to have come to life. It is now on the cusp of a historic change. The August 15 pronouncement of Prime Minister said it all.
“There was a time when the North-East used to feel that Delhi is very distant. Within four years, we have brought Delhi to the doorsteps of North-East,” the Prime Minister said. That Tripura, Meghalaya and many districts of Arunachal Pradesh are finally out of the purview of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), is a big achievement. There has also been a spurt in enterprise and economic activities in the State — be it the setting up of BPOs or the emergence of new educational institutions, said the Prime Minister. The region has also become a hub for organic farming. The setting up of a new sports university will further unleash the sporting potential of the region, the Prime Minister highlighted.
All such developments have helped the region earn rich political dividends and the BJP-led NDA, which has formed Governments in many States in the region, has registered significant gains. Except Mizoram, the BJP today plays an active role in all States, either as the ruling party or as a coalition partner. The political formation of the North-East Democratic Alliance, led by Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is a formidable force. The process of the BJP’s ascendancy, which began with the party’s impressive victory in Assam, culminated in its historic win in Tripura this year that saw quarter of a century’s rule of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) collapse like a pack of cards.
The NDA Government restored people’s faith and kickstarted a series of development projects in the region. Until 10 years ago, Tripura was not connected by rail link. And when it did in 2008, it was through a metre-gauge line. The NDA Government started the process of conversion of all tracks into board gauge and has covered 900 km till date. Two new trains, viz the Rajdhani Express and the Tripura Sundari Express between Agartala and New Delhi, were flagged off last year. The Government also signed a deal with Bangladesh to develop a rail link between Tripura and Chittagong. In fact, the Government of India is executing 15 new rail line projects of 1,385 km length at a cost of over Rs 47,000 crore. Two years since the NDA came to power, then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in 2016 laid the foundation stone for the Rs 2,315 crore, 88-km Dhansiri-Kohima railway track, connecting Kohima to the national railway network. The Government has also started several railway projects to connect Imphal, Aizawl and Shillong. Over two dozen new trains have been introduced in the region.
That the North-East faced Herculean connectivity problems, which hampered its growth and stunted its potential, is a known. All thanks to Prime Minister Modi, who worked on a pragmatic policy prescription in what he called ‘Transformation by Transportation’, exemplified in a series of activities. More than 3,800 km of national highways with an investment of Rs 32,000 crore have been sanctioned in the region in the past three years. Nearly 1,200 km of roads have been constructed, according to Government data.
In December 2017, Modi announced that his Government would invest another Rs 60,000 crore under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the North East, and Rs 30,000 crore under the Bharatmala project over a period of three years. In 2017, the Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation a 271-km two-lane national highway connecting Tura in western Meghalaya to Meghalaya’s capital Shillong.
Airports in the North-East, though not in the best shape, are up for a facelift with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) allocating Rs 3,400 crore for its upgradation. An estimated work worth Rs 950 crore is complete and the rest is expected to be done in another two to three years. Aviation projects include re-carpeting of Silchar and lalbari runways and an aviation manpower training institute; development of Rupsi airport; a new integrated airport and an engineering workshop at Agartala; expansion and revamp of existing terminal building and runway at Dimapur; installation of an instrument landing system (IlS) at the Shillong airport; and operationalisation and development of the Tura airport.
An important strategic push to the North-East is because of what Prime Minister calls the Act East policy. Through this the NDA Government is working on strengthening economic and strategic relationships with 10 ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries. The Government also proposes to strengthen the North-East as an economic hub to serve the fledgling $2.6 trillion economy comprising 662 million people. Achhe Din for the North-East is certainly in place.
(The writer is a strategic communications professional)
