PM Modi to visit Arunachal; dedicate airport, hydro electric power project

Chief Minister Pema Khandu had called on the prime minister and apprised him of the two developmental initiatives, which are complete and ready for operationalisation, the communique said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the country's eastern most state Arunachal Pradesh and dedicate the greenfield Itanagar airport and 600 mw Kameng hydro electric power project to the nation, a communique by the chief minister's office said on Friday.

The convenient date for the visit will be informed by the prime minister's office (PMO), Modi told Chief Minister Pema Khandu during a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

Khandu had called on the prime minister and apprised him of the two developmental initiatives, which are complete and ready for operationalisation, the communique said.

The chief minister informed Modi of the development projects undertaken in the north eastern state in the eight years of the government helmed by him..

The airport will be the first in the northeast to have the capacity to land big aircraft, he informed the prime minister.

The decks for operationalisation of the Itanagar airport have been cleared with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation granting the necessary license for operation on September 7. Now the airport is ready to be dedicated to the nation, Khandu told the prime minister and thanked him for his support and guidance.

With the operationalisation of the airport Arunachal Pradesh will be connected directly with New Delhi. The long-cherished dream of the people of the state to see Itanagar in the air map of India has ultimately come true, the CMO communique quoted Khandu as saying.

The chief minister informed the PM that the Kameng hydroelectric project has been successfully commissioned and will be a great boon for the power sector of the country, specially the northeast and provide power for grid stability.

The project is the largest of its kind in the northeast and has been executed by North East Electric Power Corporation Ltd at an estimated cost of around Rs 8000 crore, he said.