Centre to provide Rs 50,000 cr to NE in next five years

Agartala, Oct 13 (UNI) The Union government has decided to provide Rs 50,000 crore for improving connectivity in the country's northeastern(NE) region in the next five years for developing infrastructure.

According to the Department for Development of the North East Region (DoNER) perspective plan, it would hold dialogues with the Ministry of External Affairs and other concerned ministries to address issues like opportunities and challenges in attracting tourists from abroad to the NE states.

The DoNER officials said the Centre had launched a concerted drive to improve all kinds of connectivity between the region and the rest of India, along with initiating efforts to improve linkages with the South East Asian Countries.

''The rail network is being augmented and the National Waterway II will soon be made operational, while a plan is on to declare Barak river as National Waterway VI,'' the report said adding the density of the civil airports in the region was the highest in the country.

The recent changes in the policies of the Union government had led to the operation of 226 flights a week between the NE and the rest of the country, it added.

According to the report, the intra-region connectivity was now the key and plans were on to reach the target of executing 600 flights a week within the first half of the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

The Centre has also asked the state government in NE to ensure an impeccable law and order situation as well as iron-clad security cover, for attracting not only tourists but also investments.

The DONER was also of the view that the governments of the NE states must take full advantage of the schemes of the Ministry of Tourism and the Non Lapsable Poll of Central funds to improve infrastructure related to tourism and hospitality sector.

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