Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi onThursday advocated for increased use of the state's waterways for trade and commerce to ensure the North Eastern region's accessibility to the Southeast Asian countries.Mukhi said the Northeastern region has immense natural resources accounting for 34 per cent of the country's water resources and 40 per cent of hydropower potential.Therefore the waterways of Assam should be exceedingly utilised to ensure the region's accessibility to the Southeast Asian countries, the governor told a programme organised by ASSOCHAM here.Considering the vast extent of rivers Brahmaputra and Barak in the state and the status of National Waterway 2 and 16 given to these two rivers, they should be increasingly used to get access to the traditional domestic market of eastern India along with Bangladesh and ASEAN countries, he said.The governor also said because of the strategic location of the Northeast, its expanse of fertile farmland and huge untapped human capital, the area has the potential to be the country's most prosperous region.The Northeast is an unexplored territory for most investors, Mukhi said adding that ASSOCHAM can play a catalytic role in shaping up trade, commerce and industrial landscape of the region, particularly Assam.The Central government has been focusing on the development of the region through the Act East Policy, and its isolation is gradually reducing because of improvement in connectivity through road, rail, telecom, power and waterways, the governor said.
