Aizawl, Oct 28 (IANS) The third meeting of the High-Level Task Force on the North East Economic Corridor discussed connectivity corridors between Bangladesh and the northeastern states, and the strengthening of the India–Myanmar–Thailand transport corridor, officials said on Tuesday.

A senior official of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Monday chaired the 3rd virtual meeting of the High-Level Task Force on the North East Economic Corridor.

State Planning Secretary Lalmalsawma Pachuau presented a detailed summary of the key points discussed and the progress made in the earlier two meetings of the Task Force.

The CMO official said that among the major topics deliberated were the establishment of major connectivity corridors between Bangladesh and the northeastern states, and the strengthening of the India-Myanmar-Thailand transport corridor.

The meeting also discussed the development of Guwahati as a central hub with enhanced helicopter connectivity among northeastern states, improvement of the crucial inland waterways, enhancement of railway connectivity across the region, and exploration of electric train services to reduce travel costs.

The meeting also deliberated improvement and expansion of internet services, creation and modernisation of border trade infrastructure, and initiatives for better branding and wider marketing of products from the Northeastern region, among other important proposals.

The official said that the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has more than 6,829 Track Kilometres (TKM).

“Ambitious rail links are being established to previously unconnected state capitals, including Mizoram, Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh. These connections will integrate remote areas into national supply chains while multimodal logistics hubs are being planned to facilitate seamless cargo movement and passenger services across the region,” the official said.

Union Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with ministers from various northeastern states, participated in the virtual meeting.

The participants resolved to finalise the final report of the Task Force soon, the official said.

The DoNER ministry had constituted several High-Level Task Forces to identify key interventions and formulate actionable short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies for the integrated development of the North East Economic Corridor.

The task forces were constituted following the 72nd plenary session of the North-Eastern Council (NEC) held in November last year in Agartala and presided over by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

On Monday, the 2nd virtual meeting of the High-Level Task Force on Agri-Horticulture Development in the North Eastern Region and the 3rd virtual meeting of the High-Level Task Force on Tourism were also held. Chief Ministers, ministers, and senior officials also attended these meetings, while DoNER Minister Scindia participated in all three virtual meetings.

–IANS

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