Virtual capital city of NorthEast India now connects with the Bangladesh capital city of Dhaka today as a SpiceJet passenger carrier flies from Guwahati amidst fanfare.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the first flight from Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in presence of State ministers Chandra Mohan Patowary, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Bhabesh Kalita and other dignitaries.
Sonowal while addressing a selected gathering at the airport referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s motto of transformation through transportation and highlighted the different initiatives to boost connectivity of the region through roadways, waterways and airways while underlining Assam’s potential to become connectivity hub of the entire SE Asian region.
The young chief minister hailed Modi’s exemplary steps to bring rapid and holistic development of the region as PM started new narrative for the region by terming NE as Astalaxmi and coining the slogan A for Assam.
He also informed that more direct flights to Bangkok, Kathmandu, Yangon, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur are on the card.“Because of the connectivity thrust of the governments (both in New Delhi and Dispur), Assam farmers have been able to export their produce to markets of Singapore, Abu Dhabi etc through cargo flights and enabled the farmers here to expand their horizons.
Bangladesh assistant high-commissioner in India, Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur hailed the historic moment of connectivity between the two regions.
He revealed that thousands of Bangladeshi patients would now travel to Guwahati for treatment instead of other Indian cities.
The aircraft departed Guwahati at 11:55 to arrive in Dhaka with less than one hour and then returned back in the afternoon. Assam minister Pijush Hazarika along with few legislators and State government officials boarded the first flight as passengers to Dhaka.