21st Sep 2017 09:09:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

Arunachal has become part of UDAN scheme which has made air travel much cheaper in smaller cities in the country. Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, known as UDAN, air fares on routes between towns and cities currently poorly connected will be capped at Rs 2,500 for every 500 kilometre of travel. Service charges and taxes have been dropped. A small levy will be imposed on existing routes to help pay for the scheme.

Signaling the Centre’s determination to develop this strategic state, the Indian Railways recently gave the go-ahead to bring Tawang near the China border under the rail map. Not to mention the highly ambitious nature of the project given the daunting task of negotiating the steep Eastern Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh, it also sends across a strong and clear message that this eastern most claimed by China as part of South Tibet is an integral part of India.

When complete this will not just be an engineering marvel but also because of its strategic location, India’s defence preparedness will be at its most advantageous.

Likewise, three more, the Tezpur-Tenga-Tawang (378km), Pasighat-Tezu-Rupai (227 km) and North Lakhimpur-Bame-Silapathar (249km) are on the cards. Furthermore, many Advanced Landing Grounds have also been operationalised at strategic locations, with few of them doubling up for civilian use.

Connectivity—air and surface in the frontier state has been the core of attention ever since the BJP-led NDA government came to power at the Centre. While sceptics may question if the media blitzkrieg has actually resulted in any real result on the ground, the fact is, ordinary citizens who have been at the receiving end of the pathetic communication has not much to complain. Finally, at least it is gaining some traction as opposed to the times when the non-existent communication didn’t even qualify as a fit enough issue to be addressed.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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