Guwahati, August 03, 2023: The Infrastructure Today Conclave – North East, a platform to discuss the government’s vision and strategy to transform the infrastructure landscape of the northeast region, will be held on August 4 at Taj Vivanta in Guwahati, Assam.
The event, organised by FIRST Construction Council, in association with Infrastructure Today and Construction World, and supported by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), will have Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari as the chief guest and Assam Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya as the guest of honour.
The inaugural session will also feature Lok Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry of DoNER, Dr Kumar Pratap, Economic Advisor, Ministry of DoNER, and Lieutenant General Harpal Singh, former Engineer-in-Chief and Director General, Border Roads Organisation, who will unveil the plans for the development of the northeast region.
The conclave will have two panel discussions on ‘Financing the North East’ and ‘Boosting development by strengthening connectivity’. The first session will explore innovative financing models, attracting investments, and addressing the unique requirements of infrastructure projects in this region. The second session will focus on the execution of several rail, road, air and waterway connectivity projects in the Northeast that will enhance accessibility and smoother movement of goods and people.
The speakers for the panel discussions include PVSLN Murty, CMD, NEDFi, Kumar Padmapani Bora, IRS, Project Director & First Appellate Authority, Assam Infrastructure, Palash Srivastava, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director, IIFCL Projects, Vijay Agrawal, Executive Director, Equirus Capital, Anjan Sarma, Project Development Expert, Asian Development Bank, Dr Geetima Das Krishna, Head – North East Desk, Invest India, A Selvakumar, Director of Inland Waterways Authority of India, AK Sharma, General Manager (Engineering-Civil) at the Regional Headquarters (North East) of Airports Authority of India and others.
Pratap Padode, Founder & President of the FIRST Construction Council said that the conclave aims to create a platform for critical issues relating to infrastructure for the North Eastern region to be accelerated. He said that economic connectivity attained through infrastructure will also help in curbing insurgency in the region.
He quoted Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary, Director General, Border Roads Organisation, Ministry of Defence who had said at the Construction Technology Summit that “Roads are the backbone of development. Once a road is constructed, other infrastructure facilities like electricity, water, sanitation, schools, health services, banking services follow.”
He also cited how infrastructure development had reversed the migration of young unemployed men from villages situated high up on the hills to cities.
The speakers for the conclave are experts from various sectors of infrastructure development in the Northeast. They are: A Selvakumar, Director of Inland Waterways Authority of India, who will talk about waterways & ports and their economic potential; AK Sharma, General Manager (Engineering-Civil) at the Regional Headquarters, NER, Guwahati, Airports Authority of India, who will discuss air connectivity with Udan scheme; Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, General Manager of North East Frontier Railway, who will share insights on railway connectivity and integration of the Northeast into the grid; Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary, Director General of Border Roads Organisation, who will present inputs on road infrastructure and its transformational impact; Prakash Gaur, Chief Executive Officer, National Highways Logistics Management, who will explore the role of ropeways in connecting difficult hilly areas in the Northeast; Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI and Arun Goyal, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, who will discuss the energy transition in the region.
