Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha highlighted significant barriers to the development of the Northeast region during the second meeting of the High-Level Task Force on Logistics Expenditure, Infrastructure, and Communication Development, chaired by Union Minister of DoNER Jyotiraditya Scindia. He pointed out that high logistics costs, communication shortcomings, and infrastructure deficiencies are critical obstacles hindering progress. The task force is intended to foster a coordinated and systematic approach for addressing these issues collectively among all North Eastern states.
Saha presented a detailed pictorial report that encapsulated the challenges identified by the states during the inaugural meeting and proposed remedial steps. He underscored the pressing need for an organized, all-weather multimodal communication system bolstered by robust institutional coordination to mitigate these challenges effectively.The Chief Minister enumerated various issues affecting the region, including the difficult hilly terrain and climatic adversities, dependence on the Siliguri Corridor, poor road and rail connectivity in remote areas, low air traffic, limited goods transport, short runways in hilly regions, underutilized waterways, and hurdles stemming from forest clearance and land availability.
Emphasizing the need for collaboration, Saha advocated for strengthening the public-private partnership model, enhancing investment, and promoting integrated development across road, rail, air, waterway, and digital infrastructure. He expressed his hope that the discussions from the task force meeting would contribute to shaping a sustainable long-term development vision for the East and the North by the year 2047. Attendees included the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh’s Chief Secretary, Sikkim’s Secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce, and various officials from the DoNER Ministry and other North Eastern states.
