PM Modi to make Arunachal trip to inaugurate airport, hydro unit

Guwahati: Prime minister Narendra Modi has accepted Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu's invitation to inaugurate two projects in the state-an airport in Itanagar and the 600 MW Kameng hydro-electric power plant, according to a statement from the chief minister's office.

Khandu had met Modi in New Delhi on Thursday and apprised him of all the developmental work initiated by the state government in the last eight years. According to the statement, Modi accepted the invitation and said that his office (the Prime Minister's Office) would soon announce a date for the visit.

"It is my privilege to inform completion of the dream project--greenfield airport in Itanagar," the chief minister's office quoted Khandu as having told the prime minister. "The deck for its operationalisation has been cleared with the DGCA granting the necessary licence for operation on September 7, 2022. Now the airport is ready to be dedicated to the nation."


The airport in Itanagar will be the first in the state with capabilities of landing big aircraft. "With the starting of this airport, Arunachal Pradesh will be connected directly with New Delhi," Khandu said. "The long-cherished dream of the people of my state to see the state capital in the air map of India has ultimately come true."

Khandu also informed the PM that the 600 MW Kameng hydro-electric project has been commissioned. It is the largest hydro-electric project in the north eastern region, executed by the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) with an estimated cost of around ₹8,000 crore. He said the project will provide power for grid stability.