'From Beijing to Itanagar' sounds like a part of a tour itinerary of a Chinese traveller on a visit to India to explore the serene vistas of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. This in spite of the various and elaborate travel restrictions and the regime of inner line permits both for foreign travellers as also for Indians who desire to travel to Arunachal Pradesh, "our land of the rising sun." However, in this particular case, it was no Chinese traveller but the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, who traveled from Beijing to Itanagar via New Delhi.

The two-day visit by Singh to Arunachal Pradesh at the end of January is the first visit by any Prime Minister in over nine years. In the same period however, there have been many visits to China by Indian Prime Ministers. This reflects the lack of attention towards the Northeastern states in general and to Arunachal Pradesh in particular, at the highest level of the Indian government.

There has been relatively more development in the Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura, than Arunachal Pradesh, which until a few years ago was described as a region yet to 'awaken to modern civilization'. The people of Arunachal Pradesh have not received the level of developmental attention of the Indian government which they deserved all along.

One very narrow road from Tezpur in Assam to Bomdila - Bhalukpung and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, connects the province to the rest of the country. The other access road is through Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam which leads to Tirap district and the Namdapha wildlife sanctuary. Road connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh over the years has been abysmally low, with the western and the eastern parts of the state not connected by any road at all. One has to travel all the way through Tezpur and through Upper Assam to reach the eastern part of Arunachal. There are a few erratic helicopter services which provide the only other option. The arterial road network elsewhere in Arunachal Pradesh is minimal and was built to serve the needs of the Army, and this too was done only after the India-China conflict of 1962, when the Indian government woke up to its security concerns and rushed towards securing its frontier areas with China.

The slew of developmental measures that were announced by Prime Minister Singh in his maiden visit to the state do hold some promise, but it has to be seen if the big power projects really benefit the local people. The two hydel power projects, one of which would be the country's highest capacity, is directed to meet the country's energy needs rather than be of any direct help to the people of the province. Even this is likely to take years to complete. The improved road connectivity package is the positive side as it promises four-lane connectivity from Assam to Itanagar and the much needed road connectivity project connecting the western and eastern parts of the state. The frequency of helicopter service is also likely to be increased and several disused airfields in the state are to be opened for expansion. The funds out of this developmental package should be provided smoothly and immediately to hasten their effective implementation. These promises should not prove to be hollow or get entangled in bureaucratic red-tape.

India has moved significantly towards building a strong defence in the Arunachal sector in the wake of recent reports of improved Chinese infrastructure close to the borders of the state and faster Chinese troop deployment capabilities. The appointment of the recently retired Indian Army Chief General J J Singh as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh is an indication that the central government does not want to take matters lightly in the border state - the Governor's House is an alternate centre of power in all northeastern states. The Prime Minister, it must be noted, mostly visited army installations in the state and took stock of military preparedness and also announced packages for the army serving in the state.

The itinerary of the Prime Minister did not include Tawang and this seems to be an indicator that New Delhi wants to conduct its policy in the state with diplomatic caution and not take symbolic postures on the most controversial issue in Sino-Indian relations in recent times. It also wants to assert its legitimacy in the state by the initiation of developmental projects as announced and thereby integrate it into the national mainstream or at least into the 'mainstream' of India's Northeast. This can be termed as too little too late but nevertheless encouraging for the future of the state and its people. It would be a positive for the state and for overall Sino-Indian relations if in a decade the story is Itanagar to Beijing with no diplomatic hassles, be it for IAS officials, politicians or for the common people.