[ Joken Ete ]
ITANAGAR, 16 Aug: The ‘No bridge, no vote’, threat by residents of three villages in West Siang district has borne fruit.
Recently, a news item highlighting the plight of the poor people of Tode Rime village due to lack of road connectivity was flashed in various local dailies.
Residents of Rime Moko, Pidi Rime and Tode Rime villages had threatened to boycott the Lok Sabha and assembly elections due next year, if the government fails to construct a permanent bridge over Hijum river, a key demand of them since 2014.
A makeshift bridge – a 20-metre odd log with a rickety wooden railing on one side for a user to hold – was made by locals, but this is of no use during the monsoon as it goes below the rising water level of the Hijum river, a tributary of the Pisam.
On Tuesday, government spokesperson Nyamar Karbak assured a team of the Rime Welfare Society (RWS) led by its president Karsen Rime, that the state government
would sanction funds for construction of an all-weather road to connect Tode (Hijum) Rime, with a bridge over Hijum river.
Karbak, who is also the Liromoba MLA in the district, said that the state government has already given necessary instructions to concerned departments to expedite works including survey, estimate and preparation of a DPR.
“The state government has assured to complete the construction of the road and bridge over Hijum river before March 2024, disclosed RWS general secretary Pokpe Rime.
On August 10, a team of RWD officials surveyed the site for construction of the bridge, he said.
He said an estimate prepared by the rural works department, Aalo has already been submitted to the chief engineer (eastern zone).
“We have not completely called off our threat to boycott the polls,” said Rime.
“If the government is serious and fulfills our demand, we will certainly call off our poll boycott strategy,” he said.
“At the moment, it has been kept on standby,” he added.
In the meantime, the RWS anticipating early implementation of the assurances given by the government has assured to extend all cooperation to the government in the implementation of the project.
It praised chief minister Pema Khandu for his prompt and positive response to redress the long-felt demand for proper road connectivity to Tode Rime village.
