The North-East - Projects and Development

[kronik]

There's a lot of new things going on in the amazing North-East of India. Massive projects in road, rail and aviation transport are coming up in all states. In addition, new educational institutions are coming up and being planned, and the North-East is increasingly becoming India's hub for trade with East Asia.

Let me start with Shillong.

Shillong IIM classes from June

The classes at Shillong IIM, the seventh in the country and named after late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, will begin in end-June.

The institute can accommodate 60 students, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, according to the new reservation policy.

The officer on special duty dealing with Shillong IIM, V. Anand, told The Telegraph that the temporary campus at Nongthymmai here could accommodate 60 students.

The proposed permanent campus will be located at Mawdiangdiang, on the outskirts of Shillong.

The state government has handed over 80 acres of land free of cost for the permanent building at Mawdiangdiang.

Anand said there would be 22.5 per cent reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, while OBCs would get 27 per cent, according to the Supreme Court ruling. Disabled students would get three per cent reservation.

The interviews of the selected students will be conducted towards the end of this month. Stating that funds would not be a problem for the Shillong IIM, Anand said the necessary infrastructure have been provided at the temporary campus.

The Centre has released Rs 10 crore for the institute and more funds would be released in the near future, he added.

[kronik]

more on Shillong

Shillong set to get North East's first NIFT centre

HILLONG: In a bid to give impetus to the traditional skills in the region, the National Institute of Fashion Technology will be setting up its first centre in the northeast in Shillong this year.

A comprehensive proposal for the centre is being drafted, and the proposed sites have been identified. "We hope to get it cleared from the Union Government very soon so as to start the centre from this academic session itself", NIFT Director General Rajiv Takru said.

Takru said the mechanism to start the first session from a temporary accommodation has been put on fast track and going by the pace of the organization of the logistics, the first session could be started from June-July this year.

He said the centre would have the entire gamut of courses from two-year post graduate, four-year graduate to short duration courses and the initial intake capacity would be 40 students per course.

There was an International trade fair in Shillong last week, but of course the tabloid national media didn't notice.

anyways.....

Shillong's international trade fair draws many countries

Ninth international trade fair in Shillong has been a success in getting business deals for the region.

The fair saw participation by many countries. As many as 180 stalls, including 19 from Thailand, one each from Kenya and Nepal and several others from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan drew crowds.

There were 25 stalls put up by various entrepreneurs from the northeastern states with help from the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC).

The commercial counselor of the Thai Embassy in India, Tharadol Thongruang stressed the need to improve bilateral trade between India and Thailand.

Secretary of the Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam Rajeev Das said the move is aimed at encouraging a healthy competition among entrepreneurs from Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam.

The trade fair also gave an opportunity to the local people to buy products from other areas at reasonable price.

[kronik]

Shillong: Digitalised traffic control system

MICROPROCESSORS-BASED traffic control systems have been installed in Shillong, the lovely and picturesque capital city of Meghalaya with breathtaking sceneries and lakes, by the administration to ease the traffic woes of the city. But Shillong, the country’s second most congested city after Mumbai, in terms of the number of vehicles, every thousand people has been equipped with modern traffic signaling system, making it one of the first in the entire north eastern states. But the project on urban traffic control system seems to have moved into cold waters, as it seems to have compounded the traffic snarls. The traffic officials on duty are having a tough time dealing with the ever-growing traffic woes and problems.

The cabdrivers have admitted that this system will take some time, but it will be a success in the long run as the people of Shillong becomes aware of the system.

All the main junctions on this hilly town are being controlled by an automated signaling system, sending the man in duty and the general people twiggy .The increasing traffic has been a source of concern not only for the administration, but also for all the sections of the people, as crawling traffic has become a daily affair and a major headache for the administration.

It may be mentioned here that there are 17 main traffic junctions, starting from Mawlai to Nongthymmai. The new system is being developed jointly by the Centre for Development for Advanced Computing (CDAC), a wing under the ministry of communication and information technology and is being funded by the urban affairs ministry.

The Rs 1.5 crore project was expected to regulate more than 70,000 vehicles plying on Shillong roads, but the communication constraints and the narrow lanes of the city have put up a contradictory solution. But the efforts of the state government and the administration are commendable in the context that they have shown their sincerity in pushing Shillong into the brinks of developments and each and every citizen must appreciate and acknowledge it.

[kronik]

Arunachal development on fast track

The Centre has asked Arunachal Pradesh governor General (retd) JJ Singh to coordinate all the major border development initiatives to build high-tech infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border.

The initiatives include building an airport at Tawang, after one is in place in state capital Itanagar, and constructing a 1,840-km state-of-the-art trans-Arunachal highway touching the borders with China, Bhutan and Myanmar besides spreading a rail network in the state on the lines of one the Chinese have built in Tibet.

"You will see a historical development in the state in the next five years...I will play the role of a father figure and ensure speedy completion of projects," General Singh told TOI at Guwahati airport.

General Singh was appointed governor of the state at a time when China again staked claim to Tawang. He assumed the new assignment in January this year, a few months after he retired from the Army which he served for 43 years.

The appointment of General Singh was considered a strategic decision in view of the fact that he knows the subject well. He had written a thesis on the "Sino-Indian Border dispute" and commanded the 9 Maratha Light Infantry in Arunachal Pradesh during his Army tenure.

"Connectivity in the entire state is the major problem which we are looking at on priority," Singh added. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants Arunachal Pradesh to be one of the most modern states in the country in the next five years.

He said that after Itanagar, the government would take up work on a greenfield airport at Tawang on the Sino-Indian border. "The airport in the state capital will be completed in the next three years," he added.

Under the PM's special initiative a 1,840-km two-lane trans-Arunachal highway from Tawang in the West to Tirap in the East will be constructed at a cost of Rs 5,500 crore.

This will be besides the 3,000-km high-tech road to be built across the state under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme. Road widening work has already started on all the major arterial routes.

India is simultaneously initiating steps to further improve its relations with Bhutan and Myanmar, the two other countries on the eastern frontiers.

A multi-purpose border trade centre at Nampong is already being developed. The governor said that unlike other regions, the situation in Arunachal is conducive to development. "The best thing is we have Hindi as a binding factor," Singh said.

To further bring Arunachal closer to mainland India, the government has decided to relax the provisions of the Protected Area Permit, Restricted Area Permit and the Inner Line Permit required for Indian and foreign nationals to travel to the state.

Employment generation is also on top of the agenda for which 53 hydro-power projects are in pipeline with a capacity to generate 24,000 MW of electricity. Besides the foray into hydel power, the state will exploit the horticulture and take steps to promote tourism, Singh said.

[phaedrus]

brilliant. as you said, about time !

[SarafIndian]

http://www.upi.com/International_Sec...projects/7189/

Reliance to complete 3 hydro projects

India's private major Reliance Power Ltd. said it plans to complete three hydropower projects by the first half of 2009.

The company's hydropower business has a total capacity of 2,100 megawatts and will be completed by the first half of 2009, The Business Line newspaper reported Wednesday.

A company official said Reliance Power is executing a 700 MW project at Tato II in West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh state, 1,000 MW at Siyom project in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, and 400 MW at Urthing Sobla in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. India's power giant is also planning for some more projects coming up for competitive bidding.

The official said the focus of the company is on expediting the process of implementation of these projects, adding the company believes it is well placed to implement them ahead of the six-year deadline.

[Euromast]

Hindustan Construction wins Rs 3.03 bn order

MUMBAI: Construction and civil engineering firm Hindustan Construction Company Ltd said on Wednesday it has won a 3.03 billion rupees contract from Lanco infratech Ltd.

The project for Teesta Hydroelectric project in Sikkim is to be completed in 44 months.

[kronik]

An article on the alienation of the north-east, which is hopefully changing for the better.

Connecting to the Northeast

You know you have left “mainland” India the moment you leave the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam. Life suddenly takes on a different pace. For the tired eyes of an urban dweller, the green is incredibly soothing. And even the pre-monsoon Bra hmaputra, at its lowest water level, is awe-inspiring.

But the scenic beauty, the slower pace at which things move, the abundance and variety of vegetation fail to camouflage the tensions that prevail just beneath the surface. You catch a glimpse when suddenly you come across army personnel patrolling an area. The military presence in Upper Assam is not as obvious as in Kashmir. But it is there, a reminder that all is not well in this beautiful State.
Constant reminder

Even in the not-so-remote parts of Assam, you are constantly reminded of the fact that the entire region remains apart. “Connectivity” was an issue more than three decades back. Assamese and other Northeasterners complained of their lack of access to each other and to India. Today, things have improved. There are more flights and trains coming into the Northeast from the “mainland”. But connectivity between the “Seven Sisters” is still poor. And although the Internet has begun to spread its reach, access is still indifferent at best and non-existent at worse. In fact, despite all these changes, the issue of “connectivity” continues to be the subject of editorials and discussions.

Difference and remoteness from the “mainland” are also evident in the choice of stories in the newspapers of Assam and the Northeast. After days of being assaulted by images of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches on the front page in Mumbai newspapers, it was a relief to read local newspapers for whom the brouhaha over this meshing together of sport and entertainment was a non-issue. In fact, even their sports pages did not carry any reports on this new version of Bollywood and cricket — that ought to be called Bricket.

Instead, the newspapers reported bomb blasts in Manipur, the death of a one-horned rhino in Assam (a reminder of the constant problem of poaching), and the civic problems that the burgeoning capital city of Assam faces. “Mainland” politics, and sports, were a somewhat lower priority.

The visit was also a reminder of how serious environmental concerns are ignored despite studies and reports. The highway that slices through the Kazhiranga National Park, a World Heritage Site, is like a scar. Buses blow loud horns, trucks spew out diesel fumes. Despite this, you can actually spot a rhino or two in the distance. But how long will these animals survive this steady onslaught on the environment that occurs day in and out just a few metres away from where they graze and calmly view the world around them?
Alienated and hurt

Despite the differences there are common concerns but also uncommon worries — feelings of alienation, of hurt, of anger, of injustice. A meeting with a group of people in any part of the Northeast inevitably reverts to this. Why does the “mainland” media ignore the concerns of the Northeast? Why are we always stereotyped? Why is only conflict covered and nothing else? Why do development issues in the region not matter?

There are serious developmental and environmental issues that need reporting, need highlighting. Some of them can be tackled within the region. But many need a change in Central policy. The road through Kaziranga, for instance, was not a decision taken locally although supported by certain interests in Assam.

The women of the Northeast are an interesting example of issues that are common and yet different. There is an impression, based on the fact that Meghalaya has a matrilineal society, that women in the Northeast are better off than women in the rest of India. Not so, feminist scholars of the region point out. For instance, although property is passed on through women in Meghalaya, there are few women making policy or holding elective office in that State. In Arunachal Pradesh, women are not allowed in the village council. So even though women in the Northeast are visible, are active in the economic sphere, are not burdened by customs such as dowry, and the region has a positive sex ratio, the status of women is still not what it appears. And women still have to fight the same battles within their families and in society as women elsewhere.
Similar yet different

It is also interesting to see how the young people, in one of the more remote universities, are similar and yet so different. At a discussion with students in one such university, concerns similar to those of their counterparts in “mainland” India were expressed. A hardly perennial at all such discussions is the issue of a dress code. What should women wear? Can they wear what they feel like or should they conform?

Sexual harassment and so-called “eve-teasing” is another constant. What should women do? Complain? Grin and bear it? Fight back?

An unusual concern was “open dating”. Some of the young women were uncomfortable about some of their counterparts openly going out with young men on the campus. This they held was inappropriate. For people in their twenties doing a master’s programme in a university away from their homes? Yes, argued some, as this was being done behind the back of their parents.

So would these women accept a man their parents chose for them as a suitable husband? As expected, there was ambivalence. Some bravely declared they would go in for “love marriage”, others suggested “love” with parental approval was better, and still others held that it was best to go with the person their parents chose. As a representative sample, this was probably not very different from what you would find in most other universities in India barring those in the metros.

What was refreshing about the young people was the lack of cynicism, the openness to ideas, the willingness to express opinions and the confidence that they could pursue their dreams. Could this be one of the plus points of being away from the “mainland”?

[kronik]

Talks on first nuclear plant for NE begin

In a development that is likely to fuel intense debates in parts of the North-east, initial talks have started on the region having its first nuclear power station. Speaking at the press meet in Guwahati, Union Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh revealed that the Meghalaya Chief Minister had in a meeting last evening made it known that if uranium mining could be safely carried out in Meghalaya, then he would prefer that a nuclear power plant be based in either in the State or a neighbouring area including some place in Assam.

Significantly, Assam Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi who was present in the meeting purportedly told Ramesh that Assam would welcome the move to set up a nuclear power station. The significance of the meeting could be gauged from the fact that it had the telephonic participation of Dr Anil Kakodkar, the Indian Atomic Energy Commission chief.

It was stated that Dr Kakodkar was open about the idea, and favoured the formation of a study group to consider the “techno-economic feasibility” of such a project in the region.

Referring to the issue of uranium mining in Meghalaya, which has till now being opposed on safety grounds by a section of people, including some state leaders, he said that extracting the key mineral was essential for the success of the country’s civilian nuclear programme. Right now only about 50 per cent capacity utillisation was possible in the reactors due to a dearth of uranium.

To allay fears over health concerns issuing from uranium mining, the Department of Atomic Energy would further invite a panel of doctors and scientists from Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital to respond to public queries through an outreach programme.

In another initiative, a group of decision-makers including public leaders would be taken to the Cuddapah region of Andhra Pradesh which has been earmarked for uranium mining.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Centre to begin talks with Meghalaya for uranium mining

The Centre will soon initiate talks with the Meghalaya government on uranium mining which was suspended following protests by the local tribals fearing environmental hazard.

Addressing a press conference here today, Minister of State for Power and Commerce Jairam Ramesh said he would discuss the uranium mining issue with the state government for the benefit of the people, which will take into account full environmental safeguards.

Uranium was required to improve the power situation and for the country's nuclear programme, he said.

The minister also stressed on improving the power situation in the northeast at a meeting with officials of North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCo).

Ramesh suggested that NEEPCo could explore the possibility of joint-venture projects with state governments and also with private companies.

He said measures were being considered to supply power to Meghalaya from NTPC's thermal power station in Farakka in West Bengal. There was a proposal to set up a 500-mw thermal power project in the Garo Hills, he said.

NEEPCo now generates 1100 mw, which needed to be augmented. It has identified seven projects - Kameng 600 mw, Tuirial 60 mw, pare 110 mw, Tripura gas-based 104 mw, Garo Hills 500 mw, Khanteng 75 mw and Margherita 480 mw - to increase its capacity. NEEPCo now provides 60 per cent of power in the northeast, he said.

Ramesh said that the transmission and distribution network had to be improved in the northeast in cooperation with the Power Grid Corporation of India.

Describing the power situation in the northeast as "very very bad" because it was entirely dependent on hydel power sources, the minister said, its thermal power capacity would have to be increased to improve the situation.

Ramesh said the North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCo) was being rejuvenated with the appointment of a full time chairman-cum-managing director, I P Abbe, last evening.

NEEPCo will add 1400-mw in the next five years, he said. The projects are Kameng (600 mw) and hydro-electric pare (110 mw) in Arunachal Pradesh, Tuirial in Mizoram (60 mw), Tripura gas-based project (104 mw) and Garo Hills in Meghalaya (500 mw)", he added.

[phaedrus]

Now, govt employees can fly to N-E

Centre Move To Make Destination Popular

After a long wait, the Centre has fulfilled the dream of its employees, irrespective of their grade or post, to fly on a vacation with family at its cost.
To make the north-east a popular travel destination, it has put its own house in order and relaxed LTC rules for employees wanting to enjoy a break in one or more of the region’s eight states. The new LTC regime permits all Group A and B officers to fly to the North-East from their place of posting while Group C and D employees have been allowed air travel to a city in the region from Kolkata or Guwahati.
Till now, most of the junior staff never got to travel by air during their stint with the government, mainly due to high fares and lack of official entitlement. What’s more, all government employees would now be permitted conversion of one block of ‘Home Town LTC’ into LTC for destinations in the North-East.
An order to this effect issued recently by the personnel ministry said that the relaxation would be permitted for two years and a record of all officers and employees visiting the region would be maintained.

source timesofindia epaper

[IU]

(new) Capital Complex, Imphal (Manipur) - designed by Hafeez Contractor

[SarafIndian]

Business Standard

American major wants to build expressway To connect Sikkim and West Bengal

American construction major, Star Universal Resource Company, has expressed interest in building an expressway between Sikkim and West Bengal.

A team of the New York based firm, made a presentation to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling on the proposed expressway between Sevoke in north Bengal and Gangtok, an official release said.

The proposed road with ten tunnels and as many bridges would cost Rs 1,550 crore and it would be fully financed by the company if the state government sanctioned the project.

The expressway would be built in four years of which one year would be required for survey works and the remaining period for its construction, it said.

A length of 30 kms of the expressway would fall into West Bengal for which the Star Universal Resource Company has got the approval of the government of the neighbouring state.

The construction company would start work as soon as it gets the approval of the Sikkim government for the proposed highway.

Chamling, Roads and Bridges Minister d T Lepcha, officials of the Border Roads Organisation and the 17th Mountain Division of the army were present during the presentation yesterday.

[kronik]

why would an american company want to build an expressway where a good four lane road will suffice?

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by kronik

why would an american company want to build an expressway where a good four lane road will suffice?

Don't know exactly. But I think the company is "Louis Berger Inc". They are working with NHAI to built different roads in this region. Example.

But, still it is just my idea. I am not sure.

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by kronik

why would an american company want to build an expressway where a good four lane road will suffice?

An only good four-lane road is not sufficed for this section. Just heard that our neighbor going to start building a rail route till the Nathula from other side. And they have very good road connectivity there. Till now we don't have any rail route to Nathula(not even till Gangtok). Because this part is geographically too challenging. So we need at least a secure, all weather road (may not be ex'way) till the border.

I am not going to elaborate. You know why...

[kronik]

Originally Posted by SarafIndian

An only good four-lane road is not sufficed for this section. Just heard that our neighbor going to start building a rail route till the Nathula from other side. And they have very good road connectivity there. Till now we don't have any rail route to Nathula(not even till Gangtok). Because this part is geographically too challenging. So we need at least a secure, all weather road (may not be ex'way) till the border.

I am not going to elaborate. You know why...

I get you, and thats why I am questioning the involvement of an unknown American company in the process.

[monkey1]

Originally Posted by kronik

I get you, and thats why I am questioning the involvement of an unknown American company in the process.

You think an Indian company is up to the task?. I think not. It will be easier for local goons and politicians to try and eat up some of the funds, if an Indian company is involved, not excluding the Indian officials of the company themselves. I took a tour of TamilNadu a little while ago and i noticed that all the highway construction is the state was being carried out by Irish and UK based companies , with labor brought in from Punjab. The overwhelming response i got to my questions as to why an Indian company wasn't involved was, to 'avoid corruption'. Sad, but that's how it is. Even if the Govt. tries to play fair, the citizens will still take this country for a toss.

[phaedrus]

NPCIL to study feasibility of N-reactor in Meghalaya

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited would form a technical committee to study the feasibility of setting up the country's 18th nuclear reactor in Meghalaya.

"The possibility of setting up the reactor would be known only after the committee submits its report," Uranium Corporation of India Limited Executive Director AC Kundu said here yesterday.

Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy had asked Union Minister of state for Power Jairam Ramesh whether the setting up of a nuclear reactor in West Khasi Hills district could become a possibility.

Head of the Public Awareness Division of the Atomic Energy Department S K Malhotra said the total quantum of power generated in the 17 nuclear reactors in the country was 4120 MW.

"As of now, there is a deficit of 10,000 MW. We need more uranium for the nuclear reactors to meet the demand."

Malhotra said Meghalaya could contribute 16 per cent of country's uranium need. "The contribution can go beyond that and the DAE is carrying exploration work in Garo Hills where there are uranium deposits," he said.

The UCIL is desperately waiting for the go ahead from the state government to mine uranium in Meghalaya, even as the Centre has already given environmental clearance for the project.

Despite the finding of around 16000 tonnes of uranium in West Khasi Hills district here, the UCIL could not go ahead with mining due to opposition from some groups, who cited possible health hazards and displacement of people.

source economictimes.com

[SarafIndian]

Quite interesting. This can influence the development of North-east a lot.

Hindu

Underlining India’s close economic and strategic relations with Bhutan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday pledged to extend the Indian rail network into its northern neighbour.

Dr. Singh made this commitment to his Bhutanese counterpart, Jigmi Y. Thinley, on the first day of a two-day visit to the country the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 15 years.

The rail proposal was first formally mooted in January 2005 and the RITES is now understood to have completed a feasibility study for the establishment of a rail link between Hashimara in West Bengal and Phuentsholing in Bhutan, a distance of around 20 km.

Briefing the media about the meeting between the two Prime Ministers, foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said Dr. Singh noted that 2008 was an “auspicious year” because it marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Wangchuk dynasty in Bhutan and the 50th anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru’s first visit to the kingdom, besides being the year a democratically elected government was formed and King Jigme Khesar Wangchuk would formally be coronated. “To mark the year, we will commit to building the railway line into Bhutan", Mr. Menon quoted the Prime Minister as saying.

Mr. Menon said that another key decision the two leaders took was to double the joint target Bhutan and India had set for hydroelectricity generation from various projects in the kingdom from the projected 5000 MW by 2020 to 10,000 MW.

...
...

[kronik]

Very good. Bhutan's probably the only friend we have left in the region!

If I remember correctly, there's talk of a Kolkata-Dhaka rail line?