- NET Web Desk
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) aims to invest nearly Rs 1,400 crore for different projects along Arunachal Pradesh this year; as informed by a senior official on Monday.
According to BRO’s Additional Director General for Northeast – PKH Singh, the organization is already building roads worth Rs 1,000 crore in the state.
The BRO has been granted a total of Rs 20,000 crore, of which it aims to invest Rs 1,300-1,400 crore in the state this year; he said.
Forest clearance for roads worth at least Rs 2,500 crore is pending with the state government, he said, adding that he was working to get those soon.
“I will meet Forest Minister Mama Natung, Chief Secretary Dharmendra and Development Commissioner (East) PS Lokhande to seek their help as many stretches are within the right of way (RoW) of the proposed BRO roads for which land compensation has been paid,” he said.
Getting the requisite forest clearances will hasten the process; Singh said.
The Balipara-Chardwar-Tawang (BCT) Road, Elephant Road, and Sessa Road in the East Kameng district, for instance, are some of the old developmental projects; he claimed.
While the single-lane Elephant Road has been completed, the work for Sessa Road is pending over forest clearance, he added.
“The alignment of Dirang Bypass, part of BCT Road, is ready and the project is likely to be awarded to contractors this year. About 90 per cent works of Siyom Valley Road in West Siang district are complete, except for a few small patches,” he said.
Singh remarked that the completion of these highways will ensure reverse migration along border hamlets. The 2,000-kms long Arunachal Frontier Highway was designed as an axial route along the Indo-China boundary.
