Antony intervention sought to expedite road job by BRO

Arunachal Pradesh PWD, Finance & Planning Minister Chowna Mein has requested Union Defence Minister AK Antony to expedite the ambitious Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH), particularly those portions allotted to the Border Roads Organization (BRO). In a letter to Antony, Mein drew his attention towards the ‘slow’ progress of various parts of the TAH, which were allotted to the BRO. “The works on 158 km Koloriang-Joram, 228.5 km Anini-Meka, 188.6 km Digaru-Hawai and 105 km Akajan-Likabali-Bame roads that constitutes a very important part of road development programme as announced by the Prime Minister in 2008 are going on at a slow pace,” Mein said in the letter. [caption id=“attachment_202775” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] The minister said the state PWD had not only prepared the detailed project reports (DPR)of its roads and obtained sanctions, but had also awarded works after tendering. “The DPRs are yet to be sanctioned for the said BRO roads – immensely important for state’s hydropower development and connecting the headquarters of Kurung Kumey, Dibang Valley and Anjaw districts,” the letter said. Moreover, work for upgradation of 85 km Balipara-Nechipu as general staff (GS) road and 233 km Tawang to Nechipu (NH-229) by BRO has been very slow and the condition of the roads was extremely deplorable at various stretches, Mein said in the letter. “This has been causing extreme hardship to the commuters of West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts,” the letter said. Union DoNER Minister Pawan Singh Ghatowar as the PM’s envoy had reviewed the TAH progress here on January 19 and assured the state to remove any hurdle in the progress. Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Ravi Shankar had also inspected the BRO roads to take stock of the work progress. PTI