Northeast Development: PM Modi Unveils Rs 55,600 Cr Projects, Spotlight On Sela Tunnel

Projects worth Rs 55,600 crore in the Northeast were unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including the strategic Sela tunnel which will ensure all-weather connectivity to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, on Saturday.

The projects, spread across Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, were unveiled at a program in Itanagar.

Northeast Development: PM Modi Unveils Rs 55,600 Cr Projects

The Sela tunnel, costing approximately Rs 825 crore, is hailed as an engineering marvel. It is designed to provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang Road in Arunachal Pradesh. This project, whose foundation stone was laid by PM Modi in February 2019, not only promises a faster and more efficient transport route in the region but also holds strategic importance for the country, being situated near the frontier with China.

The inauguration of the Sela tunnel was marked by PM Modi flagging off an Arunachal Pradesh State Transport bus passing through it. Furthermore, development projects worth more than Rs 41,000 crore in Arunachal Pradesh were unveiled by the PM. Among these was the laying of the foundation stone for the Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in the Lower Dibang Valley district, which will be constructed at a cost of Rs 31,875 crore, making it the highest dam structure in the country.

Additionally, foundation stones were laid for various roads, environment, and tourism projects, along with the upgradation of schools. In Manipur, projects worth more than Rs 3,400 crore were unveiled by PM Modi, including the Unity Mall at Nilakuthi, the processing zone of Manipur IT SEZ at Mantripukhri, a 60-bed hospital in Lampjhelpat for providing specialized psychiatric care, and infrastructure development for Manipur Technical University in Imphal West district. Various road projects and water supply schemes were also inaugurated in Manipur.

Nagaland witnessed the unveiling of development projects worth more than Rs 1,700 crore by PM Modi. Foundation stones were laid for projects such as the Unity Mall in Chumoukedima district and the upgradation of the 132 kv sub-station at Nagarjan in Dimapur, alongside the inauguration of several road projects including the upgraded road from Chendang Saddle to Noklak and the Kohima-Jessami Road.

Meghalaya saw projects worth more than Rs 290 crore being unveiled by PM Modi, including the IT Park at Tura, a new four-lane road, and the conversion of an existing two-lane road into a four-lane road at the New Shillong Township. Additionally, the Farmers Hostel-cum-Training Centre in Upper Shillong was inaugurated.

In Sikkim, projects worth more than Rs 450 crore were unveiled by PM Modi, including several road projects, and the inauguration of a new road connecting Tharpu and Daramdin. Tripura witnessed the unveiling of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 8,500 crore by PM Modi. Foundation stones were laid for various road projects including the Agartala Western Bypass, along with the inauguration of projects for providing tap connections to 1.46 lakh households and the land port at Sabroom in South Tripura district.

PM Modi also launched a new industrial development scheme named UNNATI (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation), aimed at strengthening the industrial ecosystem in the Northeast, attracting new investments, setting up new manufacturing and services units, and boosting employment. The scheme, worth Rs 10,000 crore and fully funded by the Centre, covers all eight Northeastern states and provides incentives for capital investment, interest subvention, and manufacturing and services-linked incentives to approved units.