`NER Is A Complete Destination For All Seasons’

ET&T Staff - Kolkata

‘Come explore the North East -India's best kept secret' was the clarion call of P R Kyndiah, union minister for development, the north eastern region (DONER) to the travel fraternity attending the recently concluded 53rd TAAI annual convention held in Kolkata. Kyndiah delivered the inaugural address at the "Tourism Conclave: Destination North East" organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the ministry of tourism, government of India, ministry for DONER and the north eastern council held coinciding with the TAAI convention.

"Unlike other tourist destinations of the country, the north-east (which includes the seven sister states of Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh Mizoram and Sikkim) has the potentials to attract tourists throughout the year. The region has a temperate climate and is comparatively cooler than the mainland India and thus can be projected as a complete destination for all seasons," Kyndiah said. He added that it will be the endeavour to establish 'north east' as a bridge to South East Asia for economic cooperation and make north east a hub for trade and commerce as well as a popular tourist destination. Kyndiah further emphasised that, "The UPA government at the Centre is committed to take pro-active measures to speed up the development of NER in order to bring it at par with the rest of the country."

The setting up of an independent ministry, the creation of a special agenda for the North-East which is monitored by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), enhancement of non-lapsable pool of resources (NLCPR) to speed up developmental projects and the extension of fiscal and financial incentives to support industrial investment are some of the important measures taken up by the government.

The union minister said that development of tourism could not be confined to the government only. An effective and action oriented coordination between private and public sector is required to accelerate the growth of tourism. He dispelled the fear of the travel fraternity and reaffirmed them by saying that there is a perception that the entire NER is plagued by insurgency. Clearing doubts and stressing about the safety aspect related to the region, Kyndiah said, "Insurgency is confined to only some pocket and the centre is determined to bring back the insurgents into the main-stream through a process of peaceful dialogue. The ministry of tourism has formulated new schemes for the development and promotion of tourism. Thrust is on integrated development of tourist spots in the north eastern region. An audio-visual presentation, highlighting the tourism potentials of the region, was also presented to TAAI delegates by Lt general, Ajai Singh, governor of Assam and chairman, north eastern council. Dr Surajit Mitra, joint secretary in the ministry of DONER elaborated on the initiatives taken by the central government to speed up the development of the NER. He unveiled the potentials of the region as a tourist destination and initiatives taken by the centre for development of infrastructure facilities in the region.