Manipur being a hilly terrain, it requires such an infrastructural set up which provides physical accessibility to all parts of the State. Adequate and efficient provision of a well connected road, rail, and aviation network is an important pre-condition for the social and economic development of the State. Besides, a sound telecom and power infrastructure is necessary to improve the quality of life.
Imphal, the State Capital, has the second only largest airport in the region. It is is well connected by air with Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati. The national highways in the State link it with the rest of the country. Almost all the villages of the State are connected by all-weather roads.
Roadways
As far as roadways is concerned, there are three national highways in Manipur, namely, National highway-39 ;National highway-53; and National Highway-150. Imphal, the capital of Manipur is joined by NH-39 with Nagaland on the North and Myanmar on the east; by NH-53 with Assam on the west; and by NH-150 with Mizoram on the south.
Railways
The State was included in the railway map of India with the opening of the rail head at Jiribam. The nearest rail-head is Dimapur, which is 215 km from Imphal. The foundation stone for a new railway line called as the 'Jiribam- Tupul railway line' was laid down in 2004.
Aviation
Imphal airport is the only airport in the State which is linked with other stations in the region through Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Alliance Air. The Indian Airlines flights connect Imphal with Guwahati and New Delhi, while the Jet Airways Flights connect Imphal with Guwahati and Kolkata. Alliance Air connects Imphal with Aizawal, Silchar, Kolkata and Guwahati.
Telecommunication
Telecommunication infrastructure in the State includes the following:- independent satellite link with Delhi and Shillong; micro-wave link with Kohima and beyond; 40 digital exchanges; and internet C-II net working at Imphal with 810 connections to all district headquarters.
Power
The installed capacity of power in the State is over 47.252 MW (as on March 2006). The power supply of the State depends upon the Central Sector Generating Stations located in the North Eastern Region. They include:- Loktak Hydro Electric Project (NHPC); Kopili HE Project; Khandong HE Project; Doyang HE Project; Rangnadi HE Project, etc. The Loktak Hydro Electric Project is the main source of power supply in the State. Thus, Manipur depends mainly on the power available from the Loktak hydro station and the power purchased from central generating stations. Besides, there are a large number of perennial streams and rivers in the State, which can be exploited for generating power through mini/small/major hydel projects.
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