From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: All the chief ministers of North Eastern states led by Union DoNER Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar will meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to urge him to take up connectivity and investment issues of the region with utmost interest.
This was decided in the 61st plenary meet of the NEC which received an outlay of Rs 770 crore for the financial year 2012-13 to focus on investment and connectivity, Ghotwar informed on Thursday.
Addressing news persons here after the meeting the Union Minister said that the Government is considering a proposal to provide subsidy to private airlines operating flights on loss-making routes in the Northeastern region.
The DoNER Ministry came out with the proposal after a few private airlines, including Jet Airways, sought government clearance to scale down their flights to the region to stem operational losses. If the proposal is approved, private airlines may get a subsidy of Rs 35 crore annually for operating flights to routes in the North Eastern states, which are economically unviable but socially important, officials said.
DoNER Ministry has been providing Alliance Air, an Air India subsidiary, an annual subsidy of Rs 35 crore for operating flights in the region but as services of the airline were not found ‘satisfactory’, the government is rethinking on continuing the assistance.
“We are considering giving the subsidy to those private airlines which operate flights to non-commercial destinations in the region,” he said.
Ghotwar pointed out that the Prime Minister has already formed a high-power committee to look into the problems of connectivity in the region and suggest measures for its development. The committee was formed to deal with issues relating to connecting all the North Eastern state capitals with New Delhi through rail and air and develop connectivity within the region by roads, railways and waterways.
The NEC also took up the problem of industries in the region with the new industrial and investment policy, the Union Minister said. There will be massive development in rail and road sector, he added.
Efforts would be on not only to expand the rail network but also to convert all the narrow gauge and meter gauge to broad gauge tracks, Ghotwar said. There will be efforts to connect the rail service with neighbouring Bangladesh, he added.
On development of roads the Union Minister said that because of the tough terrain roads have to be maintained properly and that need funds.
He also spoke about developing tourism circuits in the region. First the tourist circuit will be within the state and then within the region. Later the circuit could be linked with neighbouring Bangladesh, he added.