With the efforts of the North Eastern Council (NEC) to rope in private players to start a dedicated airline service for the region having failed, it is now sponsoring a “comprehensive study” through ministry of civil aviation for air-connectivity of the region.
Speaking at the 59th NEC meeting, council's chairman and the minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), BK Handique, said: “NEC is sponsoring a comprehensive study through ministry of civil aviation for air connectivity in the region and I hope that very soon we can embark on more concrete steps in this direction rather than piece-meal approach.”
Handique added that upgrade and operationalisation of airport at Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh had been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 79 crore. Arrangements for air services in the region with Alliance Air has been renewed up to December 2011, he added.
Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, is in an agreement with NEC since 2002 for operating air service in the region. NEC's plan to convert the service of Alliance Air into a dedicated airline for the North Eastern Region did not materialise.
Due to pressing operational constraints, the Alliance Air could not develop Guwahati as its hub, as was demanded by NEC. As a result, the intra-regional services suffered badly and many airports in North-East could not be linked up properly. This prompted NEC in 2005 to explore the idea of a dedicated airline for the region based on public-private-partnership.
Though three tenders were floated in recent years by NEC for the proposed dedicated airline, none materialised.
The Centre has planned about 12 new airports, in addition to the existing 11 in the region to improve air connectivity throughout the region.
Handique said that NEC has also constituted a ‘working group’ to identify transport and communication projects for 12th plan with members from the states, various ministries and Planning Commission.
“The working group would identify interstate road, ISBT, ISTT and bridges which would be taken up in the 12th Plan. Two meetings of the working group have already been held. The final report of the working group is likely be submitted before end of this financial year,” Handique said. He added that NEC was in the process of constituting working groups for the 12th Five Year Plan in other sectors as well.
Handuque urged the state governments to complete land acquisition works and sort out any contentious issues particularly for the Dudhnoi-Mendipathar railway line and Harmuti-Itanagar railway line. He regretted the slow progress of the Lumding-Silchar broad gauge conversion project, which has been lingering since 1997.
“I urge all concerned parties to do everything possible to complete this (Lumding-Silchar) critically important line,” he said.
