The government will prepare a comprehensive Infrastructure Masterplan for the Northeast to address critical gaps in connectivity across highways, railways, waterways, airways, logistics and digital networks, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya M Scindia said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a meeting of the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on “Logistics, Infrastructure Connectivity in NER” in Guwahati, chaired by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Scindia said the masterplan will be framed in consultation with all eight northeastern states and central ministries to ensure a coordinated approach.
The meeting, attended by the chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, senior ministers from Mizoram and Sikkim, and officials from the Ministry of DoNER, discussed state-specific bottlenecks, critical infrastructure needs and integration of state budgets with national investments for the long-term vision of “Viksit NER @ 2047”.
Sarma stressed the strategic significance of the Northeast as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, noting that despite significant progress since 2014, high transportation costs for goods remain a major hurdle. He said the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, connecting the region to Myanmar’s Sittwe Port, has been expedited.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu called for road connectivity to remote villages under PMGSY and increased flight frequency from Hollongi Airport. He also suggested reorienting the North Eastern Council (NEC) into a think tank similar to NITI Aayog.
Mizoram’s Minister of Public Health Engineering and Rural Development Prof. Lalnilawma flagged high logistics costs, which make local products over 20 per cent costlier, and sought better digital connectivity. Sikkim’s Commerce and Industries Minister Tshering Thendup Bhutia urged for an alternate alignment to NH-10, which is often disrupted by landslides, and stressed on climate-resilient infrastructure to boost trade with Nepal.
Scindia outlined five key measures — creating a regional masterplan for infrastructure, setting up a monitoring mechanism for priority projects, offering policy support for multimodal logistics parks, boosting cross-border connectivity for trade, and enhancing digital and power infrastructure. He said all projects should be mapped on the PM GatiShakti portal for better coordination, and urged states to update their logistics policies before the next NEC plenary session.
Earlier this year, the Centre formed eight high-level task forces, each headed by a chief minister, to address issues ranging from sports promotion and economic corridors to agriculture and self-reliance in food production, following a consensus at the 72nd NEC plenary in Agartala in December 2024.