Hoping for the best

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to the state laid the foundation stone for the greenfield airport in Hollongi and the Film & Television Institute (FTI) in Jote. Both these projects are of massive importance to the state. Modi declared that the projects would be completed on time. One can only hope that his words turn into reality. Arunachal Pradesh has acquired notoriety for failing to execute major infrastructure projects on time. Most of the road projects, including those under the Trans-Arunachal Highway and the PMGSY, have not been completed on time. The greenfield airport project itself has been in the offing for the last many years. Despite the tall promises by successive governments, so far it has failed to materialize.
Therefore, this time there is massive expectation. Chief Minister Pema Khandu has shown willingness to walk the extra mile to ensure completion of the developmental projects on time. His efforts in starting the much-delayed Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences, the state’s only medical college, have raised the bar of expectation. Also, the government should learn a lesson from the Jote NIT fiasco and not repeat the same mistake with the FTI. Right from the start, strict vigilance should be maintained while executing the infrastructure projects at the FTI. One of the main reasons for the delay in completion of infrastructure works at the Jote NIT is cited to be misuse of fund, especially during the initial period. Till date, the NIT has failed to shift from its temporary campus in Yupia to the permanent campus in Jote as most of the infrastructure projects have not been completed. In order to ensure that the FTI does not meet with a similar fate, the government should work out a mechanism to check misuse of fund.