Infra Push: Rail, Road Connectivity For Northeast To Boost Tourism

Enhancement of air, rail and road connectivity along with 100 viewpoints to be created across the northeast as the region is poised for a big time infrastructure development to attract domestic and international tourists.

In the rail sector, following projects are coming up to improve rail network in Northeast region:

• the 110 km long Jiribam-Imphal section in Manipur at an estimated cost of Rs 12,264 crore

• the 44.96 km long Sivok-Rangpo route in Sikkim at the cost of Rs 7,500 crore

• the 108 km long Byrnihat-Shillong line at Rs 6,000 crore in Meghalaya

• the 82.5 km long Dimapur-Zubza route in Nagaland at Rs 7,115 crore

• the 51.38 km long Bhairavi-Sairang section in Mizoram at Rs 5,021 crore

'Without connectivity, there will be no tourism', the Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said while updating about the various projects taken up by the government to enhance connectivity in the region.

The Minister was addressing the inaugural session of tenth International Tourism Mart (ITM) in Aizawl on 17 November.

In a mission mode, the centre has been providing financial assistance to the Northeast region for overall tourism infrastructure development, promotion of fairs/festivals, tourism-related events in the region, and publicity campaigns.

In the road sector, there will be about Rs 80,000 crore investment in the coming days to enhance the road network in the region, Reddy said.

On the proposed facilities for tourists, Reddy said there will be 100 viewpoints comprising wayside amenities, eating places, outlets for selling local products and selfie points to come up across the northeast.

According to the plan, 22 view-points have been taken up for development at a cost of Rs 49 crore. In Mizoram nine viewpoints have been taken up for development at the cost of Rs 12.78 crore.

In addition to that, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is also in the process of developing viewpoints on their own”, the Union Minister added.

The three-day ITM event will focus on "Priorities of G20 for Tourism Track" since India will assume the forthcoming G20 presidency for a year starting from 1 December 2022.

"India will soon be presiding over the G20 from December 2022  to November 2023. We will host over 200 meetings across 55 cities during this period. These meetings are also proposed to be held in several states including northeast," Reddy said.

The G-20 offers the best opportunity for India to showcase its culture, history and tourism potential and to position itself as a major tourist destination in the world, the Minister added.

The union government has sanctioned Rs 58.63 crore under Swadesh Darshan scheme for development of Thenzawl and South Zone and development of eco-adventure circuit in Mizoram.

The ITMa are organised in the North Eastern states on rotation basis. Mizoram is hosting this mart for the first time. The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala, Imphal and Kohima.

Also Read: Infra Boost For Northeast: Projects Worth Rs 50,000 Crore Announced For Assam, Kaziranga Elevated Road Also Gets Nod