It is unfortunate to read reports about hindrances being created by some people in the construction of the Itanagar-Naharlagun four-lane road (NH 415). The situation turned worse on Thursday when a miscreant tried to stop the work near the Dree ground. Highway Administrator Talo Potom had to rush in a heavy contingent of security forces to ensure that the work resumed. This is not for the first time that such an incident has been reported. Even on the stretch between Chandranagar and the Raj Bhavan entry point, the capital administration had a torrid time while carrying out the eviction drive.
Several cases have been filed against officials for performing their duties. In some instances, the officials have been personally harassed for carrying out the eviction drive. The officials of TK Engineering, the contractor of the four-lane road project, have also on several occasions raised concern over the safety and security of their employees. In fact, the situation was so bad that Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, after inspecting the ongoing work, passed an order for deployment of security forces for the safety of the people involved in the construction of the four-lane road. This is a very sad development and has exposed the anti-development mentality of the some of the denizens of the capital complex. Perhaps the only other place where government deploys security forces to carry out road construction is in the Maoist insurgency-affected state of Chattisgarh. The people of Arunachal, particularly the denizens of the capital complex, often complain about the poor condition of the road. But when the government makes efforts to improve the condition of the road, they create unnecessary hurdles. This has to stop. It is the duty of each citizen to extend all possible cooperation to the authorities and construction agency.