Roads: 4,016.48 km projects, costing Rs.58,385 crore, are ongoing in NER
Ministry of Railways has sanctioned 19 projects costing Rs.77,930 crore for 1,909 km length falling fully/ partly in North Eastern Region (NER), Minister of Development of NER G. Kishan Reddy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 4 Aug 2022.
These projects include those sanctioned since 2014 which are at various stages of implementation, he said in an update.
To date, 409 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.30,312 crore incurred up to March 2022.
These include:
14 New Line Projects covering a length of 1,181 km at a cost of Rs.61,520 crore, out of which 361 km length has been commissioned, costing Rs.27,458 crore up to March 2022;
Five Doubling and Multitracking Projects covering a length of 728 km at a cost of Rs.16,410 crore, out of which 48 km length has been commissioned, costing Rs.2,854 crore up to March 2022.
Road connectivity: A total of 4,016.48 km projects, costing Rs.58,385 crore, are ongoing in NER.
The completed projects in NER cover a length of 3,099.50 km at a cost of Rs.15,570.44 crore. The ongoing projects are likely to be completed by May 2024.
The major ongoing Capital Road Connectivity projects in NER include the 4 Laning of Dimapur- Kohima Road (62.9 km) in Nagaland; 4 laning of Nagaon bypass to Holongi (167 km) in Arunachal Pradesh; Alternate two-lane Highway from Bagrakote to Pakyong (NH-717A) (152 km) in Sikkim; 2 laning of Aizawl – Tuipang NH-54 (351 km) in Mizoram; and 4 laning of Imphal –Moreh section of NH-39 (20 km) and 2-laning of 75.4 km in Manipur.
Air connectivity: Total 28 projects have been completed from 2016-17 to 2021-22 with the approved cost of Rs.975.58 crore and completion cost of Rs.979.07 crore. There are 15 ongoing projects with sanctioned amount of Rs.2,212.30 crore.
Waterway connectivity: River Brahmaputra from Dhubri (Bangladesh Border) to Sadiya (891 km) was declared as National Waterway-2 (NW-2) in 1988. The waterway is being developed with fairway of required depth and width, day and night navigation aids and terminals.
The facilities created and planned would cost Rs.461 crore during 5 years (2020-2025).
River Barak was declared as National Waterway-16 (NW -16) in the year 2016. It connects Silchar, Karimganj and Badarpur in Cachar valley of Assam with Haldia and Kolkata ports through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route. The facilities created and planned would cost Rs.145 crore during 5 years (2020-2025).
Power connectivity: Ministry of Power has also undertaken power generation (hydro/thermal) projects since 2014 in the North Eastern States.
Further, the transmission and distribution network has also been strengthened in these North Eastern States. Three Hydro Electric Projects (above 25 MW) totalling to 740 MW have been undertaken in the North Eastern States.
A Gas based Power Project in the State of Assam viz. Lakhwa Replacement Power Project of 69.755 MW capacity (7 x 9.965 MW) by Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd, was commissioned on 14 Feb 2018.
Further, the Government has launched various schemes to enable States including North Eastern States to strengthen their power distribution systems by providing funding for creation and augmentation of sub-transmission & distribution infrastructure along with metering and IT enablement of distribution infrastructures etc.
For strengthening of transmission network in the North-Eastern Region, Inter-State Transmission projects have been undertaken, which include new transmission lines, extension, upgradation of existing substations, augmentation of transformation capacity, reconductoring of transmission lines etc.
Further, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) is executing two major Intra State power transmission and distribution schemes viz. (i) North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) for Six States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland) for strengthening of the Intra-State Transmission and Distribution Systems (33kV and above) sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.6,700 crore; and (ii) Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission and Distribution System in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.9,129.32 crore.
Telecom connectivity: Department of Telecommunications has also undertaken several projects in the North Eastern States for strengthening telecom connectivity in the region, which, inter alia, include (i) Mobile Services in uncovered villages in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh (National Highways only) and seamless coverage along National Highway; (ii) Mobile connectivity in Meghalaya and along National Highways on 4G Technology; (iii) Mobile connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh and 2 Districts of Assam; (iv) Bharat Net and Wi-Fi Connectivity for Village Panchayats in North Eastern Region; and (v) Hiring of 10 Gbps International Bandwidth for Internet Connectivity to Agartala from BSCCL, Bangladesh via Cox Bazar. In the North Eastern States, 1,358 towers covering 1,246 villages have been installed and providing services.
In addition, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is implementing various schemes/packages viz. North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Scheme, Special Packages of Assam [Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC) and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC)], Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Social and Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF), Schemes of NEC (North Eastern Council) and North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS), for the development of North Eastern Region.
Under these developmental schemes and packages, 1,001 projects worth Rs.10,876.63 crore, including connectivity projects, have been sanctioned during the financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22, said the Minister. fiinews.com
