PM unveils Arunachal’s first greenfield airport

IT IS THE FOURTH OPERATIONAL AIRPORT IN THE STATE AND 16TH IN THE NORTH-EAST

GUWAHATI: Powers in Delhi “ignored the North-east” for many decades but that changed after Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, while inaugurating the state’s first greenfield airport at Hollongi, located 25km from the state capital, Itanagar.

“When I laid the foundation stone of this airport in February 2019, ahead of the general elections, political commentators stated it was a poll stunt and wouldn’t materialise. But the project’s inauguration within three years is a befitting reply to such commentators,” Modi said in his address.

“For many decades, Northeast was ignored by the powers in Delhi, but we changed that after Atal Bihari Vajpayee come to power. But the successive governments didn’t continue the process,” added Modi.

“It was after we came to power again in 2014 that the region was again given importance. Now, the region is in focus, right from culture to agriculture, commerce to connectivity, trade to tourism and telecom to textile.”

The PM, who also dedicated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation, underlined the natural beauty of Arunachal Pradesh and said that the state has great potential for tourism. Named after Donyipolo — colloquially referred to as the sun and moon in the indigenous religion of the state — the airport will provide direct flights from Itanagar to the rest of the country. It is the fourth operational airport in the state and 16th in the northeast.

Spread over 690 acres and built at a cost of ₹640 crore, the airport is expected to boost tourism in the state.