Role of Civil Aviation in the Development of North Eastern Regions

This is an essay i wrote in 2007 for the Civil Aviation Ministry. I won the prize for the best essay.  I am sharing it now for everyone to read.

Role of Civil Aviation in Development of North Eastern Region

North Eastern India is the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States and the state of Sikkim. This region is a misshapen strip of land, linked to the rest of the country by a narrow corridor just 20 kms wide at its slimmest, which is referred to as the “Siliguri Corridor” or "Chicken's Neck". Owing to its geographical isolation from the rest of India and the relative primitiveness of the tribal societies existing here, the region has remained virtually cut off from the rest of India. From time immemorial till the near eclipse of the British Raj, and even to this day, this situation of isolation has continued in one form or the other.

Given the topography and inaccessibility of the region, the civil aviation industry can play a major role in integrating this region with the mainland and bring in a sense of belonging to the nation as a whole. The resulting connectivity would alleviate the fear in the minds of the people of the north east that they are left to fend for themselves and that their problems is seen by Delhi as national issue in a broader sense rather than a local issue.

 Apart from this, the biodiversity, a vibrant culture and a sense of aura attached to the north east can promise immense opportunity to the economic development of this region by connecting it to mainstream India.

The aviation sector till recently has been playing a passive role, dominated by the national airlines and the armed forces for maintaining basic connectivity, essential supplies and relief during the times of crises or emergencies. It was never seen as a commercially viable entity. Things are improving slowly with liberalization and the entry of private players.

The three major areas of national and local significance in which the influence of the civil aviation industry can have a major impact are as follows:

• Tourism & Culture
• Higher Education
• Trade and Commerce

Tourism & Culture:

The North East with its geographical and ecological diversity is a place of magical beauty. North-East India is exceptional in many ways. Unlike other tourist destinations of the country the North East presents conditions to attract tourists throughout the year. The region has a temperate climate and is comparatively cooler than the mainland India and can be projected as the complete destination for visitors during the summer months. Winters too are not that severe in most parts of the region. The pollution-free environment is an attraction which the North East has in abundance. Its verdant forests, exquisite flora, turbulent streams, lofty mountains and majestic snow clad peaks make it a unique place offering the tourist numerous opportunities for rafting, water skiing, Para-sailing, hiking, mountaineering and jungle camping.

Each region has its own unique natural attraction, The Himalayan range of Arunachal Pradesh with its snowcapped mountains, the worlds' highest rainfall at Sohra (Cherrapunjee) Meghalaya, the one-horned rhino at Kaziranga and Manas, the phenomenon of birds committing suicide in the Jatinga hills are some of the diverse attractions for nature lovers. The North East especially Meghalaya offers thrilling experiences for those interested in cave tourism. Temples are a major attraction of this region like the Buddhist temple of Tawang and the Kamakhya Temple of Hindus etc. At Guwahati, Majuli island at Brahmaputra the biggest River Island of the world is a rare attraction. There are well preserved Churches all over N.E. States. If one is looking for a quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life, one can go to the lush green tea gardens and play golf at one of the numerous golf courses which have air strips attached to them. One can also shop for exquisite textiles, tribal shawls which are available in a variety of colours and designs, cane and bamboo artifacts, and other unusual souvenirs.

The ethnic and the cultural diversity of the people, Raj nostalgia associated with the tea industry, different battle sites of World War-II and the various war cemeteries are some of the other attractions that the region has to offer.

The air link to this region can help immensely in the development of the tourism industry. This would increase the influx of tourists not only from India but also from across the world.  Promotion of tourism will have a development impact over social and economic status of the region. The regional economy would be benefited as tourism encourages allied industries like hospitality, travel, handicrafts etc. Organizing cultural events like the Kanchunjunga Festival, Festival of Tea Tribes at Golaghat would encourage the interaction between the tourists and the locals and promote the culture of the north eastern region. Such events can be organized or sponsored by the operating airlines in the yearly tourism calendar and trips to these events can be offered as a package to the tourists visiting this area.

Marketing Tourism:

• Various airlines can bring out promotional brochures and videos highlighting the tourist hotspots and the itinerary of cultural events in region thereby creating awareness about this region.
•  Helicopter tourism can also be promoted in a big way by introducing small, say 20-seater helicopters. Such trips would encourage people to visit unseen places and enjoy their beauty. The administration can take cues from the success of Himachal Pradesh in development of tourism through the civil aviation where similar terrain conditions as in the north east have worked to the advantage of the aviation industry. There are three airports in the State at Shimla, Kullu and Kangra two of which have been upgraded to handle Boeing 737 and ATR . Tourism in turn has become a major contributor to the revenue of the state. During the year 2004, the tourist arrivals in the state were 6.5 million which is roughly equivalent to the population of the State. Tourism contributes nearly 8% of the State Domestic Product.

Worldwide tourism contributes about 11% of the total workforce and 10.2% of the global gross domestic product. The dynamic growth of this industry is evident from the fact a new job is added to the sector every 2.5 second. The changing geography of tourism since the 9/11 attacks has brought home the importance of regional and domestic tourism. By 2020 the Asia Pacific region is projected to become the second largest tourist generating market in the world. To open up to that market could be very rewarding for Northeast India.
 Higher Education:

 The north east offers a very pristine and appropriate environment for educational activities to thrive. Better connectivity through air travel would facilitate movement of teaching talent to these far flung places leading to the improvement of higher education in the north east. The establishment of an IIT in Guwahati and proposal of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to establish an IIM in Shillong are steps in the right direction. Medical education can also be encouraged by establishing Medical colleges cum hospitals which can considerably decrease the cost of medical expenses and improve the quality of life in this region. Development of higher education in the northeast would have far fetching advantages for the talent starved industries of commerce in India because it would open one more region having ready to use intellectual capital. The best examples of such establishments would be the IT and the ITES Industry which is creating an astonishing number of jobs every year. It would also have a symbiotic effect because where there is availability of intellectual talent commercial and corporate power houses would be encouraged to set up shop leading to overall economic development and generation of meaningful employment to the local population. With the spread of education, the awareness about India will rise and the higher education scenario can only hasten this process.

Trade and Commerce:

Major state capital cities like Aziwal, Imphal and agartala can be promoted as international airports and hubs of commercial activities. Only recently Guwahati has been reopened as an international hub though the number of international flights operating in this region is limited. These activities would increase the volume of passenger traffic coming directly to the north eastern India there by considerably increasing the domestic and international tourist footfalls into the region. It would also reduce the travel time and money spent by any individual who would want to travel out the country from this region.

Wealth generation in a region is boosted to a great extent through the creation, activation and development of the overall infrastructure. The infrastructure includes roads, airports, drinking water facilities, community waste disposal facilities, power stations and other public works services. Business establishments like L & T will get encouraged to go into an MOU with the regional governments to develop the living conditions of the region. Given a period of time and resources it will ensure progress.

As most of the region is situated in harsh geographical regions, the transportation or movement of agricultural products and other goods in and out of the region becomes a very difficult and time taking preposition. The cargo sector of the civil aviation industry should be promoted in a big way so that there is a fast and efficient method of moving goods in the region. Exclusive cargo terminals can be established in the airports and the airports must be appropriately redesigned to handle the cargo aircrafts. The promotion of the cargo sector would also increase the volume of formal trade between the north east and the rest of South East Asia. With better connectivity we can visualize Northeast India supplying hydroelectric power to its cross-border neighbors, pipelines moving gas and petroleum products across the transnational region with lower transportation costs. It will make North east India an attractive investment destination.

The aviation industry has also to play a significant role in two of the glaring problems that have been hounding this region since independence.

• Insurgency and Separatism in the North east
• The China Factor

Insurgency and Separatism

The jungles of South East Asia sweep down from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh across seven other nations – Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Malaysia and Vietnam-spanning political boundaries regardless of physical frontiers. Ethnic coalitions, oral traditions and lifestyles based on respect for nature have mattered more in these regions than frontiers. Here men and women, with common origins but different nationalities, share a racial, historic, anthropological and linguistic kinship with each other that is more vital than their links with the mainstream political centers, especially at Delhi, Dhaka and Rangoon, or Yangon, as it is known today.

It is this affinity which has played a role in the unrest and insurgencies that have long troubled the North Eastern region of India. These factors have represented the principal compulsions that triggered the Naga, Mizo, Meitei, Tripuri and Assamese affirmation of separateness from the non-Mongolian communities that dominate the Indian subcontinent. Apart from these, the northeastern states, though they are rich in natural resources, have experienced little industrial or economic growth. Unemployment has caused frustration amongst the youth. Demographic changes have threatened continuation of the special ethnic identity of these people as also their culture and traditions. To crown it all, this jungle covered mountainous terrain having porous borders with many neighbouring countries, provided an ideal setting for the growth of insurgency. Most of the North-East has been facing various degrees of insurgency and violence with the rebel groups receiving overt and covert support from foreign powers-chiefly Pakistan and Bangladesh. Bangladesh is believed to be running as many as 90 camps for Indian insurgents and fundamentalists. Some of the leaders of Indian insurgent groups live in Dhaka and lead a lavish life funded by the host government and its ally, Pakistan's ISI. The influx of Chakma refugees to the region is another destabilizing factor. The violence against ‘outsiders’ or people from other parts of India have also been a cause for concern.

Since the opening up of the economy in the nineties, there is now a perceptible change in attitudes in the people of this region. The development of communication links to the region has served, to bring about awareness about the mainstream India. As the region is present in fairly inaccessible locals, this connectivity has been spearheaded by the civil aviation industry. The civil aviation sector has not only overcome difficult topological barriers, it has also helped to overcome the mental block that exists in the mindset of the people that the north eastern part of India is a very far away from the rest of India. With this the people are slowly coming to terms with the fact that socio economic development by mainstream India through connectivity is being done slowly but surely for the overall growth of the people of the northeast.  The economic development through connectivity acts as a tool for the regional governments to pro actively discourage insurgency and cross border terrorism.

The China Factor:

Arunachal Pradesh is one of two main disputed regions between India and China, the other being Aksai Chin. China does not recognize the state of Arunachal Pradesh, nor the McMahon Line. The People’s Republic of China regards the entire territory that is administered by Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese territory occupied by India. India does not recognize any of these claims, and considers the state to be an integral part of the country. The entire region is administered by Indian authorities, despite the attempts by the Chinese to eject them from the region.

The civil aviation industry can play a role similar to the Qingzang railway in Tibet to turn the popular opinion of the people of Arunachal Pradesh in favour of India. Most of the areas in Arunachal Pradesh being inaccessible by roads or railways, the civil aviation stand as the best solution to improve connectivity between the northeastern states and with rest of India. It can aid in the development of the tourism industry in Arunachal Pradesh. Better connectivity would mean increase in the volume of goods. The increase in passenger traffic will result in greater tourism and economic activity in the state. This would also encourage industrial houses to set up shop in the region. All these developmental activities would be steps in the right direction to help the people of Arunachal Pradesh to integrate locally with the north eastern region and the Indian union as a whole.

Governmental Role:

The central and the state government have a major role to play in the development of the civil aviation sector in the north eastern region and encourage the private airlines to operate in this region. Some of the initiatives taken by the government are as follows:

• The payment of Inland Air Travel Tax (IATT) has been exempted from all of the currently operated routes in the North eastern region.
• The sales tax for the aviation fuel would be capped at 4 per cent.
• Operation of smaller aircrafts and helicopters for passenger and cargo flights is being encouraged through rationalization of airport charges and Avgas prices.
•  Adequate funds as grant-in-aid through North East Council (NEC) is being made available for the infrastructure development work needed to be carried out in the North-East region.
• There are a total of 23 airports in the North Eastern Region out of which 11 have been made operational. These airports are – Agartala, Aizawl, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Guwahati, Imphal, Jorhat, Lilabari, Shillong, Silchar and Tezpur. The airport at Lengpui, Aizawl is owned by the State Govt.
• Three proposed Greenfield airports are to be developed at Itanagar, Cheithu and Pakyong. Two new Greenfield airports have been proposed at Tawang and Kokrajhar.

Apart from these efforts, the facilities at the existing airports should be modernized to facilitate operation of wide bodied aircrafts for both passenger and cargo operations and ensure that the rest of the airports are operational

Conclusion:

The north eastern region has not always received the attention it deserves. Successive governments have thought of this region as a problem area which should be controlled by flexing its armed might rather than finding a permanent political, social and economic solution. Only recently after the economic boom has the central government turned its attention earnestly towards the north east. Statistics indicate a significant rise in the patronage for the civil aviation industry, there has been a growth of 23.4% in aircraft movement in the North Eastern Region between 2004-05 and 2006-07 and a growth of 40.2% in passenger traffic for the same period.

Problems do remain like lack of specialized medical facilities, drugs and human trafficking. But with increased connectivity through civil aviation and other means, and with the economic prosperity that it brings along, the prospects of finding a permanent solution to the problems of north eastern India are bright. The Look East policy of the Indian government envisages the Northeast region not as the periphery of India, but as the centre of a thriving and integrated economic space. With the opening of the economy the Indian juggernaut is booming at the rate of 9% every year, we can only imagine the rate when the states of the north east join the bandwagon.

Trip to Goa

We wanted to go somewhere special to celebrate our 5^th Wedding anniversary. We had selected Gir forest, Andaman & Nicobar islands, Mahabaleshwar, Munnar, the Backwaters of Kerala and Goa as our options. Gir and Andaman were ruled out due to the cost (Our budget was around Rs 50,000/- all inclusive). Munnar was ruled out as it we would have had to spend a lot of time travelling by road after reaching the nearest airport from Hyderabad. I cannot give a specific reason for ruling out Mahabaleshwar as by that time, Alappuzha and Goa had become frontrunners as a holiday destination. Between the two finalists, we thought Goa offered us more in terms of the number of activities and places to visit. So Goa it was!!

The trip was planned between 28^th January and 31 January. Our anniversary being on Martyrs Day!!.  We booked flight tickets in Air Asia (3:55 pm departure reaches goa at around 5:00 pm and return flight was at 7:40pm to reach Hyderabad at 9:00pm) as the prices were comparable to bus tickets.  We chose the ITC WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn, at panjim, to stay as it is one of the top rated hotels in goa. The hotel is centrally located and offers a glimpse of old Portuguese architecture. In retrospect, I feel the choice of hotel was one of the best decisions of the trip.

Day 1: 28^th January 2017

Amma and Appa dropped us at the airport at around 2:00pm.  We had a pleasant surprise when the Air Asia lady at the check-in counter got a call that Shahrukh khan was in the airport. We had a fleeting glance at the Bollywood heartthrob. It was a few minutes before the lady could compose herself and check us in! She was also there when we boarded the aircraft and the poor thing was thoroughly embarrassed on seeing us!

Our flight to goa was uneventful, but we enjoyed the landing in goa, the plane goes into the Arabian sea takes a U turn and then lands at the Dabolim airport. The landing gives you a birds eye view of the various beaches and the Mondovi river. You can relish this in the return flight, when during take-off one gets to see an aerial view of the places they’ve been to.

Taxi Fare from airport

We had known earlier that taxi drivers in goa fleece the tourists by charging exorbitant rates as that is the only mode of transportation to your destination, but  we also knew that the airport taxi pre-paid counter kind of socialises this menace. What we did not know that Prime Minister Modi was in goa for an election campaign.  When we reached the taxi counter, we saw a long snaking line leading all the way to the baggage carousel. We were told that most of the taxis we stuck in a traffic jam. The line moved very slowly, but it was more due to people abandoning the queue rather than getting a taxi coupon. Luckily, I spoke to a hyderabadi couple who had come in the same flight, they had booked their hotel in calangute. The enterprising lady had found out a cabbie who was willing to take them for Rs 2000/- (Which is 40% more than the regular fare) and were willing to drop us en-route. The deal was that they pay the onward fare and we pay the return fare (They were returning in the same flight as ours). The journey took a good 1hr and 45 minutes.

The couple dropped us somewhere near the Bus Stand. We walked down to the hotel and reached at around 7:45 pm and checked in. The hotel had more of foreigners than Indians, the staff was courteous but they did not have uniforms as you would generally expect in an ITC hotel. Our room was just as we had imagined, the only glitch was that the bathroom was outside the room across a small veranda and we had to open a high security, three stage doors to access it!  But it was fine.

Due to the inordinate delay in the airport and the traffic jams, we could not go to the Saturday Night bazaar at Arpora as planned. As an alternative we went to a beautifully constructed Maruti temple on a hill. The temple was nearby, but there were numerous steps to access the temple. After darshan, we sat down (or rather got stuck in the evening aarti!!). We reached back at the hotel at around 9:30 pm and sat down for a light but sumptuous dinner at the Veranda restaurant of the hotel. Tasted the local cuisine along with feni. The food was simple yet delicious. We signed off for the night at around 10:30 pm
Day 2: 29^th January 2017:

We woke up at around 7:30AM and had a nice morning tea at the balcony. The complimentary buffet breakfast was good, there was an assortment of Indian and continental dishes with fruits and juices. We got ready at 9:30 AM and went about looking for a bike.

The best part in goa is that, if you have a valid drivers’ license you can get two wheelers on hire. The rates vary seasonally, one should get an active for about Rs 300 to 400 in off season and about Rs 500 to 600 during peak season. We wanted an avenger but were promised that it would be available only in the evening. So we temporarily took a Honda activa for Rs 500 with a promise that we would be given the avenger in the evening for Rs 800 per day.

Our first stop of the day would be the famous calangute beach which was about 15 Kms from our hotel. On the way we purchased Hats as the sun was up. We reached the beach at around 11:30 AM. It was a feast to my eyes to watch the sun bathers. However after the initial euphoria of watching them faded away, it kind of became normal and the ugliness of the skin started becoming evident. We spent about 2 hours strolling and playing in the beach after which, we had lunch at Dominos.

We then saw the Upper and the Lower Aguada fort. The fort was simple and elegant; entry to the fort is free. The climate was hot and humid, we were lucky to fill our water bottles at the dominos restaurant to keep ourselves aeriated. One sore point was there was no restroom near the fort. The area near the lower fort is occupied by the Taj hotels & resorts and looks good. We drank coconut water at the fort, which was refreshing but costly @ 50 per person. We saw the aguada beach from the fort but chose not to go down.

We started back from the fort at around 4 pm did a bit of shopping on the way back, withdrew money from an ATM (We actually had to check out 6-7 ATMs before finally getting to a functional one). We then went back to the bus stand, exchanged the activa for the avenger and reached the hotel at around 6pm. We quickly had a shower and changed to go to the casino.

Casinos in Goa are of two varieties land based and river/sea based. We chose Casino pride2, because @ 2000 per person, it offered us Rs 1000/ worth of playing coins and buffet meals. They don’t allow shorts/flip flop so be suitably attired. After completing the formalities where they took our ids and tagged us, we went on a boat to take us to the casino. It was astonishing to watch people lose thousands of rupees and not be worried about it. The casino staff was friendly and explained us how to play the games. We placed a few bets at the Casino war and Roulette and won Rs 1000/. The wife kept it safely with her so that I don’t lose it!.  After playing we went for dinner where live shows were playing. The dinner was ookk with a few vegetarian options. We then came back to the shore and went for a long drive on the avenger, but unfortunately got stuck in a huge traffic jam @ 1030pm!!, on the way back due to election related checking. We finally reached the hotel @ 11:00pm.

Day 3: 30^th January, 2017:

After breakfast at the hotel, I wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses. What should have ideally taken 45 minutes took us almost 1.5 hours due to the stupid GPS. Our plan was to go to the Sahakari Spice farm. We started at around 11:30 and reached the farm at 12:45 pm.  We did not expect so many tourists at the farm. After buying tickets for Rs 400/- each, which included lunch, we were ushered into a waiting area where other tourists were also waiting. Here we were served lemon grass tea with ginger and cardamom which is supposed to be good for cold. After waiting for about 10 minutes we were met by guide, who took a group of about 10 people around the farm. We were shown various types of spices which were grown there along with their uses. It was really an enlightening experience, we thoroughly enjoyed. After the tour which lasted for 30minutes was over, the guide poured some medicated water down our spine; it was supposed to refresh us!.  We were then treated to an organic vegetarian lunch (Non veg was also available) on areca leaf plates, the best part of the lunch was the spicy kokum juice. After lunch we purchased a few spices and oils from the farm (though I found it to be a bit costly).

We started back at around 2:30pm, on the way we went to Shantadurga temple (a beautiful temple with a long history) after which we saw the famous churches of old goa. A wedding was going on in one of the churches. We were kinda bored at the churches and decided to go back to the hotel.

 After a quick change we went to the Miramar beach. I would rate it as one of the best beaches to spend a quite evening with loved ones. The beach is near the meeting point of the Mondovi river and the Arabian sea. It is a walker’s paradise as the waters are a bit shallow. In fact we liked the beach better than the calangute or the aguada beach. This beach is devoid of foreigners and annoying agents trying to sell you beach rides. We watched fishermen catching fish and selling them fresh to customers. We were there in the beach till it became very dark.

After the beach we went to the panjim market to buy gifts for folks back home, but were too tired to continue, so we had dinner at Navatara veg restaurant and went back to the hotel at 10:00 pm after a very long day.

Day 4: 31^st January 2017:

We packed our bags and left them at the reception. After having breakfast, we went to the Panjim market and spent about 2 hours shopping. Wanted to buy local handicrafts, but ended up buying perfumes, T-Shirts, hats and cashew sweets instead. We then kept the bags at the hotel and went to Donna paula bay. The road to the bay is very nice. Donna paula bay reminded me of the hindi movie ‘Singham’ where Ajay devgan bashes up the bad guys. We spent about 40 minutes at the bay, had lunch and returned to the hotel at around 2:30pm.

As the couple from the airport told us that they would pick us up at 4:30pm we went to the spa. Wife had a pedicure, while I went for a back massage (It was back breaking than comforting!!).

The couple picked us up and we reached the airport well in time. We exchanged reviews about the places we went, to our surprise in a way they were following us wherever we went.

I found the airport to be a bit disorganized and bland. It does not have many shops was dimly lit and boring.  The return flight journey felt quick, we did however enjoy the birds eye view of the places we went earlier. Appa picked us up at the airport and we had a hearty dinner at home.

   

Some pointers about goa:

Traffic rules: The local population in goa make an effort to follow traffic rules and when we were caught in a traffic jam the second day everyone followed lane discipline and nobody honked. The only people who were breaking rules were us Indian tourists!!

People: The people here are very polite and make an extra effort to make you comfortable. Probably they know that tourists are a very important part of their economy.

Price: Certain things that we usually by on MRP are sold at a higher price near the tourist centres. Public transport is less and erratic.

 Pictures

Panjim Inn

High Security Door!!

Room Picture

Room Picture 

Balcony

Aguada Beach

Aguada Fort

Aguada For

View from Fort

Boat to the Casino

Casino Pride

Fresh catch @ Miramar Beach

Miramar Beach

Sahakari Spice  Farm

Sahakari Spice Farm

Sahakari Spice Farm

Shantadurga Temple

Dona Paula

Singham

Autobiography of Sachin - A fan's review.

Relished reading about my childhood icon. It brought back memories of various matches some of which I still remember vividly. I felt as if I was reliving the moments. 

While watching a match I would not leave a particular spot or chair, lest someone got out!! That cricketers can also be superstitions was a revelation.

Nice book at a really low price for kindle.