Shillong, July 29: The Meghalaya government has made an official request to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to designate the Shillong Airport as an International Airport.
During his address at the 20th Annual Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Zone – III on Saturday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma revealed that the Shillong airport, with an average of 10,000 passengers per month, enjoys direct connectivity to major cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Aizawl, Agartala, Imphal, Dimapur, Dibrugarh, and Guwahati.
“In collaboration with the Government of India, we are currently undertaking measures to upgrade the Shillong Airport to accommodate larger flights. Additionally, we have approached the Ministry of Civil Aviation to grant International Airport status to the Shillong Airport. This will significantly enhance direct connectivity with neighbouring countries of the North East States and bolster the Act East Policy,” he stated.
He also highlighted the efforts made by the Government of India under the Act East Policy to fund various projects through the Ministry of External Affairs, fostering connections between North-eastern states and neighbouring countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh. This includes the development of an economic corridor.
Emphasizing on the importance of playing to the region’s strengths, he sought for fostering partnerships between industry and the government to facilitate the region’s development while maintaining an appropriate balance and mitigating traditional threats. Drawing lessons from the success of small countries in Europe and Asia, he advocated adopting strategic planning and infrastructure interventions to uplift the North Eastern regional economy while preserving its unique biodiversity.
CM Sangma further underscored the necessity of an integrated approach and greater regional and local cooperation to achieve comprehensive development in the region. He expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Government of India for various strategies, policy interventions, and infrastructure developments dedicated to the North-eastern region.
He highlighted significant investments in key sectors such as tourism, infrastructure, logistics, and food processing, which are positioning the region as an attractive investment destination.
In terms of regional connectivity, CM Sangma emphasized Northeast India’s strategic role in the Government of India’s Act East Policy. The region boasts abundant reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, limestone, and substantial agricultural land.
He pointed out that while the majority of Northeast India’s trade occurs with Bangladesh, trade with neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Myanmar primarily takes place through border points located outside the region.
Leveraging its link with Bangladesh, he said Meghalaya has been actively working towards enhancing trade activities at the border areas. “As part of this effort Border Infrastructure shall be improved by establishing more Integrated Check Points (ICPs) along with Land Custom Station and Border Haats,” he said while highlighting that road connectivity along the Dawki-Bholaganj Road and Tura-Dalu Road is also being improved besides establishing integrated check posts and border haats to promote economic activities.
In order to further enhance connectivity and promote economic development, CM Sangma said, “Through PM- Gati Shakti we are already connecting key economic hubs in the state. In line with this, we are soon going to launch a new scheme to connect every single habitation in Meghalaya with roads. Currently, 18 major road projects are being implemented to connect Meghalaya with other states. We are even in process of establishing a direct link with West Bengal through Mahendraganj-hilli road. This will reduce a distance of 600 Kms to just 85 kms and will foster trade and commerce.”
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