During a video conference meeting with union Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pema Khandu requested him to clear major pending highway projects in the state, including Packages ‘B’ and ‘C’ of the Itanagar-Banderdewa four-lane road; Package ‘C’ of the two-lane Hukanjuri-Khonsa road (NH 315A); and protection against landslides and erosions along the four-lane Hollongi-Itanagar highway.
Packages ‘B’ and ‘C’ of the four-lane Itanagar-Banderdewa road are due for quite a long time. Package ‘A’ of the same project, starting from Chandranagar to Papu Nallah, is currently being executed.
Package ‘B’ is from Papu Nallah to Nirjuli and package ‘C’ is from Nirjuli to Banderdewa.
Until these two packages are executed, the four lane project will remain unfinished. It is matter of great dismay that the government of India is yet to sanction the two packages. The delay will only add to the woes of the capital citizens. It will also affect progress of all Itanagar to Banderdewa four lane projects.
Another pending project which is of major concern is protection against landslides and erosions along the four-lane Hollongi-Itanagar highway.
The condition of this stretch of highway is deteriorating day-by-day. For the last few years, the monsoon rain has battered the highway and no major maintenance work has been carried out. In fact, the road has been washed away in several stretches and there is urgent need to construct protection walls and culverts.