SHILLONG: Addressing the esteemed gathering at the Valedictory Session of the 7th North East Business Summit organized by Indian Chamber of Commerce on Saturday in New Delhi as the chief guest deputy chairman Planning Commission Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia underlined the critical importance that infrastructure and connectivity holds for the future development of the North East.
The North East, he said, shares borders with the nations of East, South and South East Asia, incidentally the nations considered to be the most dynamic and economically active at present. “Connectivity and infrastructure needs to be developed at a fast pace in the North East, to make gainful use of its advantageous position. While the Government both at the Centre and the States have made tireless efforts towards the same, given the volume of investments required private intervention is strictly called for to achieve the targeted capacity. Courtesy the efforts while many inroads have been made, innovative PPP models need to be devised to attract greater private sector participation,” Montek Singh Ahluwalia noted.
Commenting on the prospects of the Tourism Industry in the North East, Dr. Ahluwaliah explained that rather than each state trying to project its own potential, a common consensus between the States aiming at projecting the entire North East’s tourism potential, must be immediately arrived at. North East as whole can be better marketed than individual states to the domestic and international tourist community. With respect to Hydro Power, he urged for the formation of close working groups between Industry and the respective State Government to analyze the progress of the projects and identify the associated problems for fast track implementation.(NNN)