Connectivity projects worth Rs 1.76L cr to be completed by 2025 in NE: Amit Shah

Aizawl, April 1 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that connectivity projects comprising road, rail and air worth Rs 1.76 lakh crore would be completed by 2025 in the northeastern region.

Inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of 11 projects worth Rs 2,500 crore in Mizoram, the Home Minister said that the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project is said to be the most significant project that India has undertaken in Myanmar.

The Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project was jointly undertaken by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal mode of transport for shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar as well as to the northeastern region of India through Myanmar.

Shah said that budgetary allocation under PM-DevINE (Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North East Region) has been increased by 276 per cent.

"Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister in India who visited 53 times in the northeastern region in the past nine years while the central ministers visited 432 times in the region to take forward the development of the region," the Home Minister said adding that development of the region is Modi government's one of the priority sectors.

He said that with the surrender of 8,000 militants of different extremist outfits and signing of various accords, violent activities have been reduced to a large extent in the region.

Shah inaugurated the Assam Rifles' new battalion headquarters at Zokhawsang, which is 15 km away from Aizawl city.

The Home Minister laid the foundation stones for several infrastructural projects, including a smart city project, Aizawl Bypass roads and several roadway projects for Aizawl, Champhai and Mamit districts.

He also laid foundation stone for Rs 193 crore Laldenga Cultural Centre, to be built on the northern side of Assam Rifles ground in the heart of the state capital.

Laldenga, who was the founder of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), spearheaded a cessationist movement for two decades between 1966 and 1986 and was the first chief minister of Mizoram after it attained statehood in 1987.

According to officials, Assam Rifles, which has been guarding Mizoram's 510 km border with Myanmar, has two bases in Aizawl, one at Zodin and the other at Khatla.

The battalion headquarters at Zodin has been shifted to Zokhawsang.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that with the laying of the foundation of Laldenga Cultural Centre and shifting of the Assam Rifles battalion headquarters, the aspiration of the MNF in particular and people of Mizoram in general has come to a reality.

Relocation of the Assam Rifles from the heart of Aizawl city has been one of the major commitments of the MNF since the early 1990s.

The demand for shifting of the Assam Rifles was first raised by Laldenga in 1988 after the central paramilitary force killed seven civilians in a clash.

The relocation was also one of the important promises of the MNF in the last Assembly polls held in November 2018.

In February 2019, the Union Home Ministry directed the Assam Rifles to shift its battalion headquarters to Zokhawsang by May 31 of that year.

However, it was delayed due to various reasons.