Governor emphasizes on strengthening rural road connectivity
ITANAGAR/NEW DELHI, Jul 15: Chief Minister Pema Khandu urged the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to complete its road projects in Arunachal Pradesh early.
Khandu held a meeting with BRO officials in New Delhi on Monday, and discussed matters relating to the ongoing road projects taken up by the BRO in the state, and the status of the proposed Sela tunnel project.
The Centre had announced that the BRO would construct a tunnel through the 13,700 feet-high Sela Pass
to enable faster movement of troops to and from the Sino-Indian border.
The proposal to build the tunnel in February 2018 came amidst concerns in the defence establishment over China’s growing assertiveness along the 4000 km long border with India.
When constructed, the 10 km long tunnel will cut down travel time by at least an hour between the Army’s IV Corps headquarters in Tezpur, in Assam, to Tawang, a strategically-located town near the border with China and known for housing the second most important Buddhist monastery.
The tunnel, which is located between Tawang and West Kameng districts, will make National Highway 13, especially the 171 km stretch between Bomdila and Tawang, accessible throughout the year.
Meanwhile, Governor BD Mishra emphasized on the need to strengthen the rural road connectivity “to bring development and prosperity in every corner of the state.”
“The officials and authorities concerned must be ready to go into the details of each project and work with anticipation to remove any cause of delay in the road construction work,” Mishra said while chairing a high-level meeting on road connectivity at the Raj Bhavan here on Monday.
RWD Minister Honchun Ngandam, Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mosang, PCCF Lalramthanga and RWD Secretary Kapa Kholie attended the meeting, which was convened to discuss the 157 km Miao-Vijoynagar road in Changlang district.
The governor said concerted effort is needed to expedite the construction of the road.
“As socioeconomic development of the rural communities, particularly agrarian community and entrepreneurs in horticulture, depends, inter alia, on the availability of good roads, the officers concerned must take up rural connectivity on a mission mode,” the governor said.
“Availability of good roads is for the welfare of the people and it adds to national security,” he said.
“Due to the difficult terrain and climate, if conventional methods of road construction are not feasible, the implementing agencies must use latest alternative technologies to have good roads in the state,” Mishra added. (CMO & Raj Bhavan)
