Significant advancements in road, rail, and waterway transport infrastructure are underway in the North Eastern Region (NER) of India. The Central Government’s various ministries and departments are spearheading these initiatives to enhance connectivity within the region and with the rest of the country.
The government has launched several programmes to improve road connectivity, such as the SARDP-NE and Bharatmala-I, and the East-West Corridor program, which aims to connect the region with the rest of India. By May 2024, a total of 78 km of National Highway had been constructed in the NE States. Additionally, an expenditure of Rs 2,859.00 crore has been incurred on National Highways in the region up to June 2024.
The number of airports in the region has increased from 9 in 2013 to 17 by 2023, resulting in a 113% increase in traffic movement over the last decade. Under the UDAN scheme by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 194 fixed-wing and helicopter routes have been awarded in the North Eastern States, facilitating tourism, attracting investors, and enhancing ease of doing business.
To bolster rail connectivity within the North Eastern States and with the rest of India, 18 railway infrastructure projects, including 13 new lines and 5 doubling projects, are at various stages of planning, approval, and construction. These projects span a total length of 1,368 km and involve a cost of Rs 74,972 crore. As of March 2024, 313 km of these projects have been commissioned, with Rs 40,549 crore spent.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), under the Sagarmala program, has initiated projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore for the development of the Northeastern states. Over the past decade, 19 new waterways have been added, bringing the total to 20. Six ferry terminals are being developed in Assam at Kurua, Bahari, Dhubri, Guijan, Ghagor, and Matmora, at a cost of Rs 310 crore. These terminals aim to ease transportation bottlenecks. Additionally, under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit & Trade (PIWT&T), the number of waterway routes has increased from 8 to 10, with 11 ports of call and 2 extended ports of call declared in each country. Approximately 4.7 million tonnes of cargo were transported via the IBP route in FY 2023-24.
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The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is implementing several schemes and packages, such as the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme-Roads (NESIDS-Road), Special Packages for Assam [Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC), and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC)], and schemes of the North Eastern Council (NEC). Since their inception, these initiatives have sanctioned 1,980 projects worth Rs 23,240.78 crore, including numerous connectivity projects.
This information was provided by the Minister of State for the Development of the North Eastern Region, Shri Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
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