Doner ministry, MHA to jointly prepare security blueprint for NE

GUWAHATI: With insurgency and law and order delaying several infrastructure projects in Northeast India, Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (Doner) is generating inputs for preparing a security blueprint for the region. The ministry has launched a Rs 325-crore project for the region.

The ministry held discussion with several MPs who have worked in security forces and other security experts who have served in the Northeast to generate security inputs which Doner ministry will pass on to the Home Ministry.

Doner minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who was in Guwahati on Wednesday, said, “Security concerns us as our projects and development plan get affected. Besides delays, there is cost escalation. We have carried out an exercise with security experts who have knowledge on Northeast India and will generate security inputs.”

Singh said, "These inputs will be given to MHA and some sort of blueprint will be prepared. Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told me that militants use the landslide-prone area to explode bombs. This input will be valuable to us and there will be several such inputs. We need to collect those.”

The ministry has launched a Rs 200-crore water supply and road project for Assam. For the whole of Northeast India, the ministry has launched an organic mission with an outlay of Rs 125 crore.

The organic mission will target cardamom and fruits of Northeast India. It is designed in the lines of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (AMUL).

Singh said that the detailed project report of the organic mission is under preparation and soon the ministry will approach the Cabinet for clearance. “We will target the markets of Bhutan and Myanmar for exporting the products. This will be the first manifestation of 'Make in Northeast India'.”

Singh added that he has discussed the upgradation of the Guwahati airport with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and that it will be taken up with the civil aviation ministry. “We are trying to start a direct airline between Aizwal and New Delhi. There is planning for a separate road corporation for Northeast India", he said.

Northeastern states have submitted around 200 projects to the ministry.