Union Minister of State for Road, Transport & Highways, General (retd) V K Singh said that delay in completion of road projects in Arunachal Pradesh will not be tolerated.
Taking a review meeting of road projects in the state on August 29th, 2019, along with Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Arunachal East MP Tapir Gao, Singh expressed concern over the prolonged delay in completion of projects despite repeated assurances from contractors.
“I make it clear that the Ministry will not tolerate such lackadaisical attitudes of contractors, which amounts to betrayal to the country. We will ensure the toughest of actions against such contractors,” he said.
The Union Minister said the government will encourage private sectors and entrepreneurs, especially local, to execute as many projects as possible but won’t be lenient when it comes to timely completion and quality of work.
Admitting the issue of land acquisition vis-a-vis land compensation a major hurdle not only in Arunachal Pradesh but across the country, Singh assured the Ministry will accept all genuine cases. He, however, pointed out that many land compensation cases are “illegal” and these must be “nipped at the bud by the state administration”.
Tech and innovative ideas
While expressing concern over repeated landslides and sinking-zones disrupting road communication in the state, Singh called for bringing in new technology to deal with these.
“Our Ministry is open to new technologies. Our focus should not only be in building roads but also preventing landslides and mud-sinks that destruct the road every monsoon,” he said and urged the technical experts to come up with innovative ideas.
For smooth execution of road projects, the Minister called for proper cooperation and coordination amongst all the central agencies and state agencies. He suggested that review meetings may be taken at the level of the Chief Secretary every month and under the Chief Minister every third month. He assured the presence of representatives from all central government agencies like the BRO and NHDCIL.
Sanction of 4-laning
Chief Minister Khandu while expressing gratitude to Singh for travelling by road from Guwahati to Itanagar, submitted a five-point memorandum concerning roads and highways in Arunachal Pradesh that includes approval and sanction of 4-laning of Itanagar to Banderdewa (Packages B & C), approval of four National Highways (Akajan – Likabali – Bame, Margherita – Changlang, Daporijo – Gerukamukh and Tezu – Chapakhawa via Sunpara), Bhutan-China-Myanmar Corridor along the international border under ‘Bharat Mala’ scheme of the Govt of India, approval and sanction of East-West Industrial Corridor and sufficient fund for restoration of damages caused by flood to existing roads and highways.
Khandu also assured that bottlenecks concerning land acquisition and compensation as highlighted by the executing agencies will be resolved on priority. He said a review meeting along with Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar will be called very soon of the deputy commissioners to resolve all pending issues.
