The hallmark of a remote region’s integration with the mainland is connectivity that facilitates the easy movement of people and goods. India’s northeastern region, which is undergoing a massive railway expansion to reverse decades of institutional neglect, is a prime example. Eighteen projects worth `74,000 crore are laying 1,368 km of rail tracks, including 13 new lines. Their completion will pave the way for the simultaneous expansion of intra- and inter-regional movements. The latest development is a railway line finally linking Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, to the national grid. It is the fourth northeastern capital to have a railway station. Tracks are expected to arrive soon at three more of the eight states, including Gangtok in Sikkim. Simultaneous expansion of the region’s road, air and river networks would transform trade, productivity and the intermingling of people like never before. This would be a far cry from the earlier decades when people and animals jostled on rickety Dakota and Fokker planes that hopped between distant towns in the region as the Northeast remained tenuously connected with mainland India.
In recent decades, insurgency and militancy have again turned the region into a security nightmare, adding people’s alienation to the woes of economic disconnect. The situation has caused a large number of the region’s youth to migrate in search of jobs. Manipur is on the boil even now. However, a renewed developmental focus and investment are bringing in dividends. The region boasts new educational, medical and sports institutions, improved conditions for trade, and a more profitable exploitation of the region’s natural potential in tea, timber and oil. The expanding rail network will alleviate transport bottlenecks by facilitating faster freight movement. That would reduce prices and storage losses while increasing jobs. Increased economic activity around a transport grid can help reduce insurgency-related issues, stabilise the region through improved incomes, and aid national security with faster deployment of the armed forces when needed.