Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced Rs 50,000 crore in infrastructure projects for the Northeast on Monday during the North East India Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition in Shillong. He committed an additional Rs 40,000 crore specifically for development within Meghalaya to strengthen regional connectivity and accelerate economic expansion.
Key highway initiatives include the 165-km Silchar-Shillong Greenfield Highway at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore and the 66-km Shillong-Guwahati Greenfield Corridor valued at Rs 8,500 crore. Additionally, the Rs 18,500-crore Guwahati-Shillong Brownfield-cum-Greenfield project is underway. Gadkari noted that the Jorabat-Barapani project will cut the travel distance between the two cities from 100 km to 66 km. In the Garo Hills, the government will spend Rs 4,000 crore on the 136-km Darugiri-Baghmara-Dalu road to improve access near the India-Bangladesh border.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma highlighted the regional progress, stating, "The Northeast was witnessing rapid transformation, driven by improved connectivity, peace and economic growth." Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio added that the national Act East Policy is successfully fostering new economic opportunities across the region.
The two-day summit, hosted by the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region and the Build India Foundation, brings together leaders to explore sectors like aviation, ports, and digital infrastructure. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal emphasized that expanding inland waterways and transport networks remains central to the long-term economic transformation of the Northeast.
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