Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 4 Mar: A group of people, claiming to be “concerned citizens of Longding district” on Saturday alleged that the projects approved by the planning department in the budget estimate (BE)-2022-23 for Longding district “are individual-centric and not in the greater interest of the state and the district.”
Representing the group in a press conference here, one Manye Wangpan claimed that “most the projects are unreal, dubious and malicious to fill the coffers of a few individuals.”
He said that the group has in a representation to the finance principal secretary asked the finance department to “withhold administrative approvals and technical sanction and financial concurrence of the projects which are dubious and unreal projects.”
“If the government projects are being used by a few individuals, it is not for the greater interest of the state and the district,” said Wangpan.
He went on to allege that government schemes are poorly implemented in the district, and that the laid down norms are grossly violated.
“Longding is an infant district. It needs proper guidance,” he added.
The group alleged that “the project mentioned in Serial No 925 of the BE-2022-23 has been approved and highlighted in the same budget under PWD, and the scheme mentioned in BE-2022-23 for construction of soil erosion and protection of WRC field does not exist in Longding district.”
“There are small patches of WRC fields in the periphery of Tissing Nalla, but they are devoid of potential erosion,” the group said.
It further claimed that “in Serial No 951 of BE-2022-23, the Longding-Zebo road on the other side of Tizan Nalla, an additional road is not required as Trans-Arunachal Highway passes through Tizan Cha.”
It also alleged that “a few individuals, including the local MLA, are not using the fund properly and systematically,” and claimed that the construction of the approach road to Tumtong-I Colony, Chatting, and construction of the approach road from Tumtong-I to the government primary school in Tumtong, with a cost of Rs 50 lakhs each is just to siphon off the developmental fund as the Longding-Nokjan NEC road passes through Tumtong Colony.
The group further claimed that volleyball and football grounds at various schools “are poorly executed, thus making the future of schoolchildren in sports at stake.”
The Arunachal Times was unable to ascertain the veracity of the information and allegations. The daily sought a reaction from the Longding MLA through a WhatsApp message, but the MLA did not respond.
