The clash on the border between Mizoram and Assam has dominated press coverage for the past few days. Ironically, while debating has become flavour of the day, when the same people are asked how often they have visited cities in the Northeast, the answers are quite telling. Put simply, majority of citizens have never quite visited the region, driven both by a lack of awareness and lack of connectivity. Thus, in spite of the rich ethnic, cultural and geographic diversity which makes for extremely attractive destinations, cities and towns in the Northeast remain unexplored. As of today, save a few air links to state capitals and key cities like Guwahati, Imphal and Kohima, the region remains unconnected.
India’s Northeast comprises the seven sister states of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur, and Sikkim. All have attempted to drive trade, tourism and talent development. And, air links are critical for this to happen. Successive governments have attempted to address connectivity and this has been a core focus area: politically, socially and economically. Yet, despite a push and budgetary allocations, results have not materialized.
Focus on Demand, Not Just Supply
This is partly because the solutions have always been focused on the supply side via subsidies. Demand side solutions that are far more challenging and require engagement at local levels have not quite seen light of the day. Yet, there is no more luxury of time. The Northeast’s integration with the rest of the country via air links now demands actions that are focused on outcomes and not rhetoric.
This connectivity challenge was partly addressed in the 1990s by the poorly thought-out policy action termed as Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDGs). The policy mandated that airlines compulsorily had to fly routes to destinations in the Northeast and/or Kashmir. Airlines started including these routes for compliance rather than connectivity. And in a classic case of intent versus impact, core connectivity to cities within the Northeastern region continued for want of air services.
Two decades later, in 2016, the government launched the regional connectivity scheme, popularly called the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik). Yet again, it was (and is) a supply side-focused initiative. The goal was to entice airlines to fly unserved and underserved routes via economic incentives. These included a reduction of charges and also cash subsidies for a portion of seats on the aircraft. The cash was generated from levies on passengers flying on core routes mostly between metro cities. The goal was to connect all parts of the country. But the scheme, regardless of rhetoric, is lacking on many fronts. And the proof is in the lack of air service in the Northeastern region.
Airlines avoid adding flights to the cities in the Northeast due to demand fluctuations. Seasonal variations are large, airports in the region require special considerations (altitude, terrain, navigation facilities), and tourism products are not quite developed. Add to that the lack of initiatives to highlight the region in media, in literature, in cinema, in schools and in general discourse. Therefore, demand continues to flow to other parts of the country and even overseas.
An Underserved Destination
To add to woes, there is not only a lack of data for the region but also an unwillingness to engage. Feedback from investors who reached out to DoNER (Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region) and Invest India for data on traffic flows from the Northeast has not been too positive. Both organizations maintained that they do not maintain such data, rather redirecting queries to a one-page document on the state’s economic review. In such cases, investors simply chose to deploy funds elsewhere.
As it stands, Northeast connectivity must be emphasized for the strategic importance it holds. While this is highlighted in many forums, the evidence on the ground remains sparse. The region continues to have many unserved and underserved destinations and without the ability to do day trips via air, there are demonstrable impacts on investment and interest. Connectivity drives commerce and an air route is still the fastest and in many such cases the only way to link city pairs. The region’s rich diversity, culture and geography that are in a class of their own do not make it to the media or popular discourse, or in policies.
A region that is critically important to the country can no longer continue to aspire for connectivity. Air links to the Northeastern states should be a top priority.
Satyendra Pandey is a Managing Partner at the advisory firm AT-TV. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.
Comments
0 comment