KHAKAM, 3 Dec: The All Khakam Students’ Union (AKSU) of Longding district has reiterated its stand that it would boycott the upcoming panchayat election if its demand that the construction of the roads in Khakam block be handed over to the Border Roads Organization (BRO) is not met.
Claiming that organizations, “including women welfare societies of the five villages under Khakam block” have extended support to the demand, the union recalled the death of women who died during childbirth due to lack of timely medical care in the absence of a proper road.
“Prenatal care is primary and mandatory as every life matters, but it is ignored due to lack of appropriate healthcare centre and poor road condition,” the union said.
It said that lack of proper road connectivity has been an obstacle to any socioeconomic development of the region.
“The Khakam Driver Union also expressed displeasure over the poor condition of the roads leading to the villages in Khakam block,” the union said.
The AKSU had on 23 November written to the governor a plea to “entrust Khakam anchal block road to BRO/BRTF” and informed him of its decision to boycott the PR election if its demand is not met.
The union said that construction works on four roads connecting five villages in Khakam, which shares an international border with Myanmar, have been going on for the last 30 years, but none of the roads is reliable yet.
“It started first in 1981-82 under RWD, and then it was transferred to PWD in 1989-2009 and later taken over by RWD under PMGSY scheme. None of the departments has completed the work properly till date,” the union said.
