NEC to endorse dedicated airlines for NE region

Aizawl, May 19: The North Eastern Council(NEC) has decided to endorse for dedicated airlines for the Northeast states, NEC sources said today.

Speaking to media persons here, after the NEC sectoral meeting on air connectivity at Berawtlang tourist resort, Department of Northeast Region (DoNER) minister and NEC chairman Mani Shankar Aiyar disclosed that it had been decided to set up a committee headed by Manipur governor SS Sidhu towards setting up a dedicated airlines for the Northeast states.

''I hope that as a consequence of this endorsement the NE region will have up to 15 operational airlines by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan,'' Mr Aiyar said.

''Within the next two years we will be able to have at least 600 flights a week in the region, connecting all the state capitals and other important centres,'' he said, adding that this was the single most important decision of the meeting.

He said that according to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's suggestion, the issue of poverty eradication in the NE region would be the theme of the next NEC meeting to be held in New Delhi on November 21 and 22, 2007.

At the press meet, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga released the reports of the first four sectoral meetings on power development; road connectivity; inland water transport, flood and erosion control and irrigation and tourism and hospitality respectively at Pashigat (Arunachal Pradesh), Shillong (Meghalaya), Guwahati (Asom) and Gangtok (Sikkim).

The sectoral summits were held in rotation throughout the NE states. The Sixth sectoral summit on rail connectivity is scheduled to be held in Agartala in June, the Seventh sectoral summit on education, sports and art and culture at Imphal (Manipur) during July and the 8th sectoral summit on IT and IT--enabled services on August 21-23 at Kohima (Nagaland).

In the presence of the NEC chairman, Mizoram CM Zoramthanga stressed on the imperative need for reliable and undisturbed air services in Mizoram.

He urged for installation of instrumental landing system for all-weather landings at Lengpui Airport.

Mr Aiyar also expressed hopes that the recent four-day visit by Russian ambassador would open doors for direct foreign investment in such areas as agriculture, horticulture, road construction, waterways, handicrafts, particularly silk-based.

Mr Shankar Aiyar said that through the meeting they have created a NE brotherhood of which he is member.

UNI