After a long wait, the flagging-off ceremony marking the formal start of work on Packages 1 and 2 under the Potin-Pangin section of the Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) will be held on Saturday in Lower Subansiri district. Several ministers and MLAs are expected to attend the event. The work on this stretch of the TAH has not made any progress, especially in Lower Subansiri district, due to compensation issues. As the administration failed to hand over encumbrance-free land, the contractor left the project. The authorities had to re-tender the whole project. It is alleged that even during the time of re-tendering, not many contractors showed enthusiasm and the authorities had a hard time convincing them to participate in the process.
This clearly shows that private investors are not interested to invest in the state. The delay in the construction of the Potin-Pangin section of the TAH has been a major embarrassment for the state. Now that work will formally start, the onus lies on the contractor, the district administration, the highway authorities and the local people to ensure that this much-maligned and much-delayed project is completed on time without any further delay. The concessionaire for Package 1 (from Potin to ANYA gate) is M/s ARSS-Nabam Tullon LLP, and the concessionaire for Package 2 (from ANYA gate to Pamluk), is M/s Puna Hinda. There is massive responsibility on both the contractors, who are from Arunachal, to complete the project on time without compromising with the quality. The Potin to Pangin stretch of the TAH is the lifeline for the people of Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi, Kamle and Upper Subansiri districts.