The Hindu Business Line : `Mini-hydel projects key to solving N-E power problems'

BETTER DEAL: The Union Minister for the Development of the North-East Region, Panchayati Raj and Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, during the conference on `North eastern region of India: Constratints and opportunities for development' in Hyderabad on Friday. — K. Ramesh Babu

Hyderabad June 1 The best way to defeat terrorists in North-East is to light up the region, says Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, Union Minister for Development of North-East Region.

Addressing the inaugural of the two-day meet on `N-E region: Constraints and opportunities for development' here on Friday, he said terrorists were having a field day in the nights because of power shortages.

"If we light up homes, streets and highways, immediately terrorists lose his cover of darkness," he said.

The Minister suggested that the region needed hundreds of mini-hydel power projects, backed by robust transmission and distribution networks, to solve the power problems.

Infrastructure development

He also spoke of plans to develop aviation, inland water and road infrastructure to improve connectivity.

The Centre had proposed to develop a network of 30,000 km with an estimated investment of Rs 50,000 crore. For this, the country needed to have infrastructure developers from outside. Citing the example of Thailand, he said the large players, in association with local players, could complete the task.

Giving a bird's eye view of the region, he said the perception of media about the security situation in the region was not true. Relating law and order situation in each of the eight States in the region, he said situation in most of them was as normal as any other State in the country.

Stating that the region offered good investment potential, he referred to a special package, which he termed the best in any part of the world, to attract investments.

Foreign relations

Reminding the fact that most of the N-E region had been surrounded by foreign countries, Mr Aiyar wanted better relations with such countries by solving the problems with them. Improved relations were key to make the region an engine of growth.

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