Photo Courtesy: ukhrultimes
Shillong: The North East India Infrastructure Summit & Exhibition, NEIINFRA 2026, officially opened at the Lariti Complex in New Shillong this week. The event brings together over 1,500 delegates, including eight Union Ministries and all eight Northeastern states, to advance the region as a primary engine for India's future growth.
Organized by the Meghalaya government alongside the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North East Region and the Build India Foundation, the summit focuses on unlocking regional investment. Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma led the inaugural sessions, joined by other government and industry leaders.
A major development from the summit is the launch of road projects valued at ₹39,800 crore, spanning roughly 450 kilometres across Meghalaya. Key initiatives include the ₹23,000 crore Shillong to Silchar 4-lane corridor, which aims to halve travel time between the two cities. Another significant investment, the ₹8,500 crore Jorabat to Barapani corridor, will cut the journey between Guwahati and Shillong to just one hour.
Addressing the attendees, Nitin Gadkari reaffirmed the federal commitment to regional development, stating, "The Government of India is committed to bringing road infrastructure in the Northeast on par with the country's most developed states."
Additional projects include the Darugiri to Dalu section of NH-217, the Tura and Pynursla bypasses, and improvements to the Shillong to Dawki route. These corridors are designed to bolster cross-border trade with Bangladesh, improve logistics, and increase tourism access to sites such as Sohra and Mawlynnong. To guide future progress, the summit also released a Vision Report and Knowledge Papers detailing an infrastructure-led roadmap for the region.
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