Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sep 19: The All Arunachal Pradesh Public Transport Federation (AAPPTF) has appealed to the Border Roads Organization (BRO) to ensure early maintenance of the Kimmi to Khuppi road.
The particular road could serve as a bye-pass road for the commuters of the three districts of Tawang, West Kameng and East Kameng considering the alleged inordinate delay in completion of the Border Roads Organization (BRO) executed Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) highway project, the organisation said.
Addressing journalists at the Arunachal Press Club here on Wednesday, AAPPTF zonal president, Barum Khaduju said that the slow progress of the BCT road has badly affected the people of the three districts of Tawang, West and East Kameng.
Blaming the executing agency for the slow progress of the project, Barum said that the agency does not have the required machineries and manpower at the work site.
“It’s been almost two years since the BCT highway project began. However, about 60 percent of work is still pending because of the slow pace of work. Three districts are totally dependent on the said road as all the essential commodities are transported from Assam through it. Although there is an alternate road, the long distance has seen sudden hike in prices of essential commodities and travel cost, much to the distress of the general public. Black marketing is on the rise and there has been considerable decline in the tourist flow to Tawang district,” he claimed.
The AAPPTF zonal president further said that despite the AAPPTF earlier submitting memorandums to the state chief secretary, chief engineer Project Vartak, C/O99 APO, Tezpur, Assam and West Kameng deputy commissioner, drawing
their attention towards the problems faced by the people of the three districts due to the slow progress of the BCT highway project, no measures have been taken to address the issue as yet.
AAPPTF president, Dobing Sonam further said that the West Kameng deputy commissioner on 6 September issued an order directing to open the BCT road for a specific period of time on a daily basis, which he claimed, would only hamper the construction work instead of expediting it.
Sonam appealed to the authority to instead maintain the bye-pass Kimmi to Khuppi road as was decided in the meeting between the federation and the authority earlier, for expediting the BCT road project.
“The maintenance of Kimi to Khuppi road would facilitate the BRO in its continued work on the BCT road without harassing the people,” said Sonam.
