Anxious PMO to soon hold meeting ahead of Abe visit to resolve issues with JICA The ambitious Rs 15,000 crore North East connectivity project is struggling to take off even one year after an agreement between India and Japan to jointly work on it for quickly transforming the region into a manufacturing hub with the help of better road infrastructure. India had chosen Japan as a partner in the project due to the latter's renowned expertise in building durable and environmentally sustainable roads on tough mountainous terrain, like those found in the North East. The government also wanted Japanese help due to their prowess in manufacturing. The first phase of the project is estimated to cost around Rs 5,000 crore for improving two highways (380 km of NH54 in Mizoram and 50 km of NH51 in Meghalaya) and an additional Rs 1,700 crore for activities including compensation for land acquisition. About 500 hectares is to be acquired for the first phase. This is expected to be fun...