Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government has said improvement of infrastructure is needed to facilitate international border trade with South-east Asian countries.
The long international boundary the state shares with Bhutan, China and Myanmar provided large scope for border trade, state’s Industry, Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Tapang Taloh said at the inaugural session of the eighth North East Business Summit organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) at New Delhi Saturday, an official said.
“Amongst all border trade points Pangsau Pass in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh in the Indo-Myanmar sector is the most feasible trade point,” he said.
Taloh said the 61 km-long historic Stilwell Road in India had already been converted to NH 153 and the Nampong land custom station had been renovated.
It, howver, required Centre’s intervention to be reopened.
He requested delegates from Myanmar to lay more emphasis on renovating Ledo-Kunming road on the Myanmar side to attract investment to both Arunachal and Myanmar.
State industries department director Repo Ronya pleaded for air connectivity between Lilabari airport (at North Lakhimpur in Assam) to Guwahati and elsewhere to increase inflow of tourists and investors to Arunachal Pradesh and Assam besides facilitating communication for people of eight districts of Arunachal.
Due to the lack of air connectivity in Itanagar people are forced to travel eight hours to catch flights from Guwahati airport, he said.
“If Lilabari airport, which is about one-and-a-half hours by road from Itanagar, is connected there will be no dearth of passengers,” he said.
Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan said a joint proposal from three to four state governments of the region was required for release of 20 per cent subsidy in this regard, the sources added. (PTI)