Shillong, Jun 17 (PTI): For decades, Meghalaya was known as the abode of clouds but today it is emerging as the “abode of opportunities”, and this transformation reflects the larger story of the entire Northeast region that holds “limitless possibilities”, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said.
In a video message screened during a session of the North East India Infrastructure Summit here on Tuesday, the minister said whenever he had the privilege of visiting the Northeast, he always returned deeply inspired by the people and the “limitless possibilities” the region holds.
The civil aviation minister argued that for many years after Independence, the Northeast was often “defined by its distance from Delhi.”
Today, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Act East, Act Fast and Act First” approach, the Northeast is being defined not by a distance but by connectivity, he said.
Naidu said the summit itself reflects this commitment. The presence of representatives from all eight northeastern states, multiple Union ministries and industry stakeholders demonstrates a true whole-of-government approach towards unlocking the region’s immense potential, he said.
Hundreds of delegates drawn from governments of various northeastern states and the industry sector gathered in Shillong — dubbed the ‘Scotland of the East’ — for this first-of-its-kind event, which was hosted at Lariti Performing Centre on June 15-16.
In his recorded address, the minister said that as India advances towards the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047, “I am confident that the Northeast will emerge as one of the most connected, dynamic and opportunity-rich regions in the whole country”.
Naidu claimed that under the “previous mindset”, the Northeast was treated as the “last chapter”, but today, under Prime Minister Modi’s “Reform, perform and transform” approach, it has become one of the most exciting and fastest-growing chapters of India’s growth story.
The results are “quite visible”, he asserted, sharing statistics on road and air connectivity to buttress his point.
“As the minister of civil aviation, I have personally witnessed how air connectivity has transformed this region. In 2014, the region had only nine operational airports, but today we have a staggering 17 airports. Every state in the region now has an operational airport,” he added.
Nearly 90 regional connectivity routes have been operationalised in the Northeast just by the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, but this is only the beginning, the minister said.
The recently approved modified UDAN scheme will further strengthen connectivity through the development of 200 heliports across the country, with the commitment to develop at least one heliport in every district of the Northeast region, he added.
“Over the last 12 years alone, nearly Rs 2,400 crore have been invested in aviation infrastructure across the Northeast region by the Airports Authority of India alone, and projects worth more than Rs 3,250 crore are already in the pipeline. These include development of a greenfield airport at Silcher, a new civil enclave at Jorhat, and upgrade of Shillong Airport for A320 aircraft operations,” the minister said.
He urged all stakeholders to collectively change the narrative from “why Northeast” to a confident “why not Northeast.”
In his message, he also highlighted a “major reform” undertaken by the Centre.
“Earlier, states had to deposit significant amounts merely to request feasibility studies for new airports, but we have changed that now. The Government of India will now undertake up to four feasibility studies annually at its own cost for northeastern states,” he added.
India will require nearly 350-400 airports over the next two decades and the Northeast must be at the forefront of that growth story, Naidu asserted.
“Think about what that means for local communities. When a tourist lands in Shillong, when an entrepreneur arrives in Agartala, or when an investor visits Aizawl, when a business traveller flies into Itanagar, the impact extends far beyond the airport terminals,” the civil aviation minister said.
He underlined that the Northeast’s tourism potential is far greater and needs to be extensively promoted.
“From the clouds of Meghalaya to the valleys of Arunachal, from the tea gardens of Assam to the Ziro Valley of Arunachal, the rivers of Tripura, bamboo forests of Assam, sacred Kamakhya Temple, wildlife of Kaziranga, vibrant Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, Loktak Lake in Manipur, the breathtaking waterfalls and Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya, you name it, the possibilities are endless. We have the leadership and vision to transform these possibilities into prosperity,” Naidu said.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and several other dignitaries attended the inaugural event.
Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat participated in the summit on Tuesday and said the region will become a “growth engine” for India’s travel economy in the coming time.
