Infrastructure deficiency in NE a major concern: PM

The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia releasing the “State Development Report of Sikkim”, in New Delhi on July 02, 2008.

New Delhi: Noting that infrastructure deficiency in the north east was a “major concern”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced linking of all state capitals in the region with rail lines as he unveiled a vision document envisaging a slew of infrastructural programmes.Singh said development should be the “dominant recurrent theme” of discourse for the north east unlike violence and emphasised that there is “no grievance that can be redressed through a barrel of a gun”.
“Let development now be the leitmotif of the north eastern region.....Violence has no place in our society and our culture,” he said and expressed confidence that all differences could be resolved amicably through discussion and dialogue. He said there was no grievance that could not be represented through a ballot box.Releasing the “North Eastern Region Vision 2020”, the Prime Minister said “infrastructure deficiency remains a major concern of the Government.....We have decided to link all state capitals with rail lines” and these projects have been given the status of National Projects with a special funding pattern.
He said an ambitious programme of road building has been taken up for the north east and Rs 31,000 crore would be invested on roads during the eleventh plan.Singh said that to bridge the infrastructure gap in the region, the UPA government has taken up several initiatives like setting up hydel projects, gas-based power plant and gas cracker project in different parts of the region. (Agency)

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