Gogoi lays stress on road linkages

Addressing the meeting on the Look East Policy convened by the Ministry of External Affairs, Gogoi said imprisoned within a closed space, the North Eastern region (NER) had been subjected to various limitations by the country’s internal security, as well as foreign policy. Not to speak of foreign direct investments, even in the early few years of liberalisation of economy, a foreign tourist had to obtain a restricted area permit, he lamented.

The Chief Minister said the ASEAN highway network that could be accessed from existing NH 39 and NH 36 through Dimapur-Kohima-Imphal to reach Myanmar needed to be developed.

Reopening of the Stilwell Road linking the Region with Kunming, the capital city of Yunan Province of China would greatly boost economy and trade activities from the region to South East Asian countries.

Gogoi also called for development of connectivity with Bhutan, Tibet and Bangladesh. The NH-52 connecting North bank of Brahmaputra to Arunachal Pradesh could be further developed and extended to Tibetan Autonomous Region, he proposed.

On improvement of rail connectivity, he said the possibility of having Broad Gauge rail connectivity with Bangladesh through Golakganj may be explored for economic reasons. The three railway network including NE Frontier Railways, North Railway of Myanmar and West Railway network of Yunan are closest to each other at Ledo, Myitkyina (Myanmar) and Dali (China).

These networks could be linked to each other by building Myanmar-India Railway and Yunan-Myanmar Railway, he suggested.

The distance from Myikyina to Ledo is about 480 km and from Dali in Yunan to Myitkyina about 520 km.

Gogoi also called for development of Brahmaputra waterway. There is a need to have a long-term protocol, which will enable the development of required infrastructure of vessels and night navigation devices by private sector. He also called for development of air links between the Region and the neighbouring countries, predicting that it would lead to increase in export and tourism.

An assessment of the export potential of the Region would have to be made through a planned market survey in the neighbouring countries, as well as the export potential of the Region. The identified export potential would have to be developed and utilised, Gogoi suggested.