DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
new Delhi, Mar 9
Launching mega development projects for various Northeastern states during events in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam on Saturday, the Prime Minister declared that “Modi doesn’t do work by counting the number of parliament seats from a place”.
During an event in Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, he launched the central government’s new flagship project for the Northeast – the Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation Scheme (UNNATI) 2024 – which has a financial outlay of Rs 10,037 crore over 10 years and was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this week. He also “dedicated to the nation” the strategic Sela Tunnel project, which is built at an altitude of 13,000 feet and connects Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Modi said the expansion of industries will be the focus for the NDA government in the region. “In 10 years, we have expanded modern infrastructure in the region. Nearly one dozen peace agreements have been arrived at; we have solved multiple border disputes. The next step of development is the expansion of industry in the Northeast. The Rs 10,000 crore UNNATI scheme will bring new avenues for investment and employment. New sectors and services will come together for manufacturing here and the government will give its assistance for new industries. My emphasis has been that startups, new technologies, home stay, tourism, these kinds of different sectors in which our youth want to enter, I give the guarantee to completely support those young people,” he said.
The Sela Tunnel project, executed by the Border Roads Organisation, includes two tunnels and a link road. While tunnel 1 is 980 metres long and single tube, tunnel 2 is 1,555 metres with a bilane tube for traffic and an escape tube for emergencies. The link road between the two tunnels will be 1,200 metres. “Through this tunnel, our people in Tawang will get all-weather connectivity. Coming and going, transport will become easier for local people. With that, tourism in Arunachal will also be expanded,” he said.
“In 2019, from here I laid the foundation stone of Sela Tunnel. And today, it is made. Is this called a guarantee or not? Is this a ‘pakki guarantee’ or not? In 2019, I also laid the foundation stone for Donyi Polo Airport. Now is it not functioning well? I had done it in 2019 and some people had opined that Modi did it for elections. Tell me, did I do it for elections or did I do it for you? My work is only for our countrymen and for you,” he said. He also hit out at the Congress and the INDIA alliance, accusing previous Congress governments of neglecting the region because of the small number of parliament seats from the Northeast.
“Earlier, when they should have been making modern infrastructure at our border, the Congress governments were busy doing scams. Congress was playing with the development of the country by keeping our border and its villages weak. To keep your own Army weak, your own people deprived of facilities, that is the way of the Congress’s functioning… The Sela tunnel could have been built earlier as well. But Congress’s priority was something else – ‘There are only one or two seats, why should we put in so much effort?’ Modi doesn’t do work by counting the number of parliament seats. He does so keeping the country’s needs in mind,” he said.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for the 2880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project which he announced would be “India’s highest dam” and also inaugurated, dedicated and laid the foundation stones for projects in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. In the morning, Modi had participated in a safari in Kaziranga National Park in Assam after an overnight stay there and had unveiled a 125-foot high statue of Lachit Borphukan in Jorhat.
In the afternoon, he addressed a public meeting in Jorhat where he made a call to tourists to visit the Park. “Unfortunately because of the insensitivity and lack of protection by the previous government, the rhinos, which are Assam’s identity, had also been in peril. In 2013, in just one year, 27 rhinos had been poached, . But our government came here and with the help of the people, in 2022, this number became 0,” he said.
