Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Donyi Polo Airport in Itanagar, the first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh and dedicated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation. He said that the new India is committed to developing border infrastructure that includes building airports, roads and turning villages into frontline hamlets that are fully drawn into the national mainstream. He added that the central government is going to spend Rs 50,000 crores on the development of infrastructure in the state.
In an obvious message to neighbouring China from the frontier state, the Prime Minister said, “Today Northeast is witnessing a dawn of new hopes and opportunities. Today’s event is a great example of the new India’s approach towards development of the Northeast.”
He stressed that his government will prioritise developing border villages as frontline hamlets. “Today even the remotest corners of the northeastern region are electrified,” he said adding, “Our government worked considering the villages in the border areas as the first village of the country. It is our endeavour to strengthen the villages in border areas.”
The Prime Minister said that the Central government is going to spend another Rs 50,000 crores in the near future on the development of infrastructure in the state.
Underscoring the natural beauty of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Modi said that the state has great potential for tourism.
He stressed the need for proper connectivity to remote areas of the state and informed that 85 per cent of villages in Arunachal are connected with the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna.
The Prime Minister said that the new airport will create huge opportunities in the field of cargo services and added that the farmers of the state can now sell their produce to bigger markets. He also reiterated that the farmers are reaping the benefits of PM Kisan Nidhi in the state.
The Donyi Polo Airport will be the third operational airport in Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier, under the Udan scheme, two other towns of Arunachal Pradesh — Pasighat and Tezu — got air connectivity. The new airport has 2,300 metres of runway and is suitable for operating large, wide-bodied aircraft like the Boeing 747. The airport is built over an area of 690 acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs 640 crores.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station as part of a border infrastructure initiative. Built at a cost of Rs 8,450 crores and in an area spread over more than 80 kilometres in West Kameng district, the project will make Arunachal Pradesh a power surplus state.
Union law and justice minister Kiren Rijju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, thanked the Prime Minister for the greenfield airport. “It was our dream to have an airport in our state’s capital, today that dream has come true with the efforts of the PM.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu also thanked the Prime Minister for giving special attention to the development of frontier states.
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