Industry in Northeast

Industry in Northeast

"The geographical location of the Northeast is very fragile. If many polluting industries start spurting all over the region, with no treatment plants and sewage all over the place, there will be hardly anything left. Industry in the region should be restricted to organised eco-tourism."

-- C K Varshney,
professor and dean,
School of Environmental Sciences,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

"Only high-value, low-volume industries should be set up in the region. There are many fly-by-night operators out to make a quick buck. They should not be allowed to set up industries there. The timber industry should not be revived as the land is virtually raped most of the time. This depletes the topsoil. The region being a very fragile area is prone to landslides."

-- Alok Rawat,
Sikkim's resident commissioner in Delhi.

"Industrial ventures in the Northeast will not be sustainable. Industry in the region has been largely restricted to those interested in making a quick buck. Political and infrastructural problems afflicting the region make it difficult for sustainable industry to be set up. Corruption is a grave problem in the region. Given the situation, only tax benefits will not help in the overall development of the region. The issue has to be dealt with keeping the wider perspective in mind."

-- Mahendra P Lama,
associate professor at the Centre for South Asian Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. 12jav.net12jav.net