GUWAHATI: The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh dedicated two inter-state road projects in the North-Eastern Region, through video conferencing at a function held in New Delhi.
The 17.47 kms long Doimukh-Harmuti Road links Assam and Arunachal Pradesh while the 1.66 km Tura-Mankachar Road provides connectivity between Assam and Meghalaya, according to a PIB communiqué.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the inauguration of the two roads marks a reiteration of the central government’s commitment to development of the North-Eastern Region (NER).
He said the North-East has undergone a revolutionary transformation in the last five years under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister has paid several visits to the NER demonstrating his indulgence towards the NER, he added.
Pointing out that the NER faced a unique challenge as the region lacked Intra-Regional Connectivity compared to connectivity with the rest of the country, Dr. Jitendra Singh said Inter-State connectivity in the North-East suffered on account of negligence. Union Government has given focus to revival of such “orphan roads”, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said due to intervention of the Central Government, there has been a visible transformation in rail, road and air connectivity in the NER. Two North-Eastern States, – Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, have been brought on the rail map.
Besides, the Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road Bridge in Assam, the longest rail-cum-road bridge on Brahmaputra river, was inaugurated on December 25, 2018 and the new Greenfield Airport at Pakyong (Gangtok), first Airport in Sikkim inaugurated on September 24, 2018, has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 553.5 Crores.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said improved connectivity and infrastructure has removed bottlenecks in the development process, giving boost to the region’s economy and promoting industry. The improved infrastructure will lead to job creation, which in turn is expected to arrest migration of the youth, he added.
The construction work for both the roads inaugurated today has been implemented by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). The Doimukh-Harmuti Inter-State Road has been constructed under the North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS) at a cost of Rs. 58.25 Crores.
The length of road in Assam is 7.87 Km and remaining 9.60 Kms in Arunachal Pradesh. The construction of the road was started in September, 2017 and completed in January, 2019. The road was funded by the North-Eastern Council (NEC) under Ministry of DoNER, Government of India. The road will provide an alternative connectivity to Itanagar and immensely benefit the people residing in Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh in general and the people of the capital region in particular.
Tura-Mankachar Road is the first road which have been completed under the NERSDS. The construction of the road was started in September, 2017 and completed in June, 2018. This road has also been funded by NEC at a cost of Rs. 4.71 crores. The road provides an alternative connectivity to Tura and will immensely benefit the people residing in the West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya.