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THE LAUNCH OF short-haul turboprop services in the North-East on December 25 marks the implementation of a decision made seven years ago to improve air connectivity in the near land-locked region. Yet only one of the four aircraft promised has arrived; the authorities will hopefully spare no efforts to press into service the other three in the next few months. That will ensure total implementation of the new scheme under which all the North-East state capitals and also some destinations in the eastern region are to be linked, besides doubling of the seat capacity on offer by IA and its subsidiary, Alliance Air. The immediate benefit will be for passengers and tourists bound for various destinations within the region. In the long run, the improved air connectivity will help foster trade and commerce, intra-regional and external. The latter particularly because 98 per cent of the North-East's borders form India's international boundaries -- China in the north, Bangladesh in the south-west, Bhutan in the north-east and Myanmar in the east.

As Bangladesh is not quite enthusiastic about allowing movement of Indian goods across its territory, the proximity of Myanmar and its readiness to cooperate with India in determining the feasibility of developing a transport corridor have assumed great importance for New Delhi. The proximity factor is explained by the fact that Mizoram shares as much as 724 km of its borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. The transport corridor through Myanmar can offer a cheaper and faster alternative to the narrow Siliguri corridor in North Bengal, which is currently utilised by the trade for sending goods to the North-East. India and Myanmar are also working on a project along the Kaladan river that runs through Mizoram and Myanmar before joining the Bay of Bengal. This project envisages upgradation of port facilities at Sittwe, which is about 250 km from the border between Mizoram and Myanmar and where Kaladan flows into the Bay of Bengal. Once the right waterway and road links are established, commodities and goods will have economically viable passage from India's east coast ports to Sittwe and thereafter through Mizoram and other states of the North-East.

Reports also indicate the possibility of bilateral cooperation if opportunity comes Myanmar's way to lay natural gas pipelines along the Kaladan for exploiting hydrocarbon resources along its coastline. With e-commerce the order of the day, the region also has to have a well-developed base for IT and IT-enabled services. The successful completion in August of the community information centre scheme by the Centre and the beginning already made by private sector companies towards setting up of international call centres deserve mention in this context. However, the region's people will feel the difference only when the states have toned up their administration and improved the law and order situation.

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