Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has urged the Ministry of Department of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and North Eastern Council (NEC) to play a proactive role for developing infrastructure for the success of the ‘Look-East Policy’ of the country. Addressing the 62nd meeting of NEC at New Delhi on Tuesday.
Sarkar said, proper infrastructures relating to roads, railways, telecom lines and projects related to connectivity with and through Bangladesh should be implemented at a faster pace for success of the Look East policy of the Government of India.
Land-locked Tripura has a 856 km international border with neighbouring Bangladesh which is 85 per cent of its total border.
The remaining 15 per cent is with Assam and Mizoram.
He said connectivity with and through Bangladesh like, access to Chittagong port, operationalisation of land customs stations in Sabroom subdivision of South Tripura district for connecting the neighbouring country through Ramgarh was needed.
The construction of a bridge on the river Feni for connecting Sabroom with Ramgarh, access to Ashuganj port in Bangladesh about 40 km from here, and rail link with Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh were extremely important, he said, not only for Tripura, but for the entire North Eastern region.
Sarkar also asked for support from DoNER and NEC for speeding up development of National Highway-44, for extension of railway lines up to Sabroom, development of the Agartala airport, completion of power transmission infrastructure and development of a reliable telecom link with the rest of the country.
The chief minister, who is also the Home Minister of the state, said that the region has for long suffered from extremism because of lack of development.
“Speedy development of the North Rastern region is absolutely necessary, if it is to be saved from the curse of extremism.
“For all this to happen, it would be essential that the institutions created for development of the region – NEC and DoNER were given adequate financial powers and autonomy to enable them to fulfill their objectives for which they have been created,” he said. (PTI)