30 Minute Interview

'Meghalaya has immense investment potential'

Ranjan Chatterjee, IAS, chief secretary, Government of Meghalaya, elaborates on the ministry's efforts to promote tourism and investment opportunities for entrepreneurs. By Beryl Menezes

What steps are you taking to facilitate tourism?

We are increasing the runway length at Shillong airport from the current 6,000 feet to 7,800 feet and we are planning to build another airport in Garo hills. Besides we are also converting all two-lane roads to four lanes and a rail line will also be underway by December.

Have you tied up with any other tourism board?

We were recently in Mumbai to offer investment opportunities to private investors for setting up hotels, resorts, adventure parks in Meghalaya. We are looking at a Rs 6,000 crore investment, and in turn the government will lend support in terms of infrastructure, incentives, a 10-year tax holiday, subsidies on transport, capital, industries and power. Currently there are 600 hotel rooms in Shillong, but there is still a requirement of 1,200 rooms. We also inaugurated our tourist office in Vashi, Navi Mumbai and we are in talks with the chief secretary of Maharashtra to adopt their methods of urban planning.

What investment opportunities is Meghalaya offering?

We are following a PPP mode of investment with Rs 3,000 crore being given by the central government. We are planning to build connecting roads to Bangladesh which is very close and land custom stations. Meghalaya is also rich in mineral deposits and raw materials which is an advantage for investors planning to set up industries.

What are you doing to promote tourism in the state?

We plan to promote golf tourism by hosting golf leagues in the state, cultural tourism with a cultural calendar for each month for tourists and a convention centre, cave tourism, rural tourism and medical tourism. In terms of education, we are planning to set up a technical education institute with assistance from the World Bank and several polytechnic institutes.

For circuit tourism, the government has allocated a sum of Rs 5 crore to the tourism ministry and we are holding discussions with tourism secretaries of nearby states to set up a combined circuit. We also plan to promote monsoon tourism. As far as eco-tourism is concerned, we have undertaken steps to prevent destruction of forests, preserve flora and fauna and we are also in the process of setting up water parks and eco-resorts.

Have you taken part in any event to promote the state?

Last year we organised two presentations showcasing Meghalaya in Bangkok and New York as part of a tourism promoting package and we are planning one more presentation in Bangladesh this year. So far we have not taken part in any international events as we require more funding.