Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday inaugurated a new airport in Sikkim and used the occasion to attack the previous governments which he said had neglected the northeast.
“Today, it is not only a historic day for Sikkim but also for the country. After the inauguration of the Pakyong airport here the country has got its 100th airport,” Modi said after dedicating the new facility to the nation.
Slamming the previous governments, the prime minister said that in the last four years his government has dedicated 35 airports to the nation.
“After independence till 2014, we had only 65 airports. That means in 67 years they developed only 65 airports, less than one airport in a year. But in the last four years we have dedicated over 35 airports that means about nine airports every year,” he said.
Emphasising on the connectivity in the northeastern states, Modi said with the opening of the new airport in Sikkim, the distance between other parts of the country have been reduced.
Modi also said that in Sikkim and the northeast, work is on to expand both infrastructure and emotional connectivity.
The Pakyong Airport is Sikkim’s first, located at a height of 4,500ft above sea level. The airport is expected to give a huge boost to Sikkim’s connectivity, especially tourism. As of now, the nearest airport for Sikkim is at a distance of 150km in West Bengal’s Bagdogra.
It is located around 60km from the India-China border, giving it a huge strategic importance.
The prime minister said that he himself had come to the northeastern states several times to take stock of the development projects. “And due to my initiatives, every week or second a union minister always remain here in the region.
“And due to this, the development in the region is visible everywhere whether it is Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland or Tripura in the northeastern region.”
Modi said “aeroplanes have reached here (Sikkim) for the first time, rail connectivity has reached the northeastern states for the first time, electricity at many places has reached for the first time, highways are being broadened in the northeastern region, roads in the villages are being built, big bridges over the rivers are being built, Digital India is being spread across the region”.