“The purpose…is to return the North Eastern Region to the position of national economic eminence it held till a few decades ago;to so fashion the development process that growth springs from and spreads out to the grassroots;and to ensure that the Region plays the arrow-head role it must play in the vanguard of the country’s Look East Policy.”

The Vision Document acknowledges the many distinct challenges that the region faces including troubled history and geo-politics,environmental vulnerability and rough terrain,seclusion and insurgencies,poor infrastructure and weak governance,and limited connectivity.Floods and natural disasters recur periodically and adversely affect the lives of millions in the region.Equally disturbing are the recurring conflicts,as in Assam recently,that tend to destabilize society.It is this confluence of factors that makes the deprivations experienced by people living in the northeast different from those of communities residing in other parts of the country.

One of the factors in particular which has adversely affected progress of the northeastern region over the years is lack of connectivity.

Improving connectivity

Improving connectivity is a sine qua non for reducing the physical and social distance among the people of the region.It is also essential for enhancing employment and livelihood opportunities,expanding trade and commerce,promoting eco-tourism,tapping the potential for horticulture and floriculture,and improving people’s access to better health and education.The recommendations that follow focus on a specific namely civil aviation.
 
Civil Aviation Recommendation

States in the North East Region should be connected with each other and with the rest of the country through reliable air connectivity,by investing in infrastructure,small aircraft,helicopter services,technical manpower and state of the art Met-infrastructure.

The terrains of the northeastern region and the tenuous land links with the rest of the country make air connectivity the most practical means of transport.
 
There are 52 airstrips in the North East Region,which include 21 with Defence,4 with State Government,9 private airstrips and 15 with Airport Authority of India (AAI) (7 operational and 8 non-operational). Three Green field airports are proposed to be established in the North East Region. States such as Meghalaya,Sikkim,Arunachal are poorly connected. There is general dissatisfaction with the Alliance Air operations which has been subsidised by NEC.

Improving connectivity is a sine qua non for reducing the physical and social distance among the people of the region.It is also essential for enhancing employment and livelihood opportunities,expanding trade and commerce,promoting eco-tourism,tapping the potential for horticulture and floriculture,and improving people’s access to better health and education.

Expansion of helicopter services,augmentation of trained local manpower and positioning of state of the art weather forecasting technology and related equipment’s at all airports/helipads in the region are critical for expansion of services in civil aviation sector in the region.

As of now,Government initiatives of improving air connectivity in the region are through NEC Grant and route dispersal guidelines.

The following are a few recommendations:

• A study is already underway for improvement of Air Connectivity in the region.Based on the study,an exclusive policy approach to be adopted for the region which will also include plans for upgrading/modernization of airports,air traffic management services such as night landing facilities etc.,development of other infrastructure at the airports as well as training facilities for local available manpower in the region as well as financing requirements.
• NEC/Ministry of DoNER should closely coordinate this study with all the States.
• As recommended by a recent Committee on Air Connectivity constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,Route Dispersal Guidelines to be reviewed every 3 years.
• Guwahati to be developed as major hub during the 12th Plan,followed by phased development of other hubs such as Dibrugarh,Imphal and Tripura.
• During the 12th Plan,every State capital of the region to be connected by daily flight to Delhi;Phased introduction of similar flights to Kolkata and Mumbai should follow.
• Expansion of helicopter services(accompanied by the creation of additional helipads)and use of smaller(STOL - short take-off and landing) aircrafts to promote intra-regional mobility as well.
• Immediate operationalisation of existing airstrips in the region for intra-regional mobility.
• State of the art weather forecasting technology including positioning of related equipment at all airports and helipads in the region that provide advanced technological weather information support to facilitate safe fleet operations in adverse weather conditions.
• Upgradation of Met-infrastructure in the region up by Ministry of Earth Sciences and India Meteorological Department(IMD).
• Innovative funding mechanisms to increase both public and private sector participation for air connectivity.
• Augmentation of training capacity for local manpower by setting up of an Aviation Training facility in the region.

Pramod Tandon
Former Vice Chancellor
North Eastern Hills University