ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday urged agencies working on the 400 km Potin-Pangin stretch of the Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) to complete the road construction within the timeline of November this year. Khandu, who is on a road trip from Itanagar to Mechuka, a major portion of which passes through the Potin-Pangin stretch, expressed concern over the slow progress of work, especially in Package 3 and 4.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebration of Mopin at Daporijo in Upper Subansiri district, Khandu said that while the portions of TAH in other districts of the state are almost complete and functional, the delay on the Potin-Pangin stretch is intriguing. The Potin-Pangin section of the highway was earlier under a single package. On the state government's request, the stretch was divided into nine packages, and the work was allotted to different construction agencies, a statement issued by the CMO said.


"Work on Package 2 is 99 per cent complete while Package 1 is fully complete. However, I have been informed that the progress of work on Package 4 is 61 per cent and on Package 5 it is only 53 per cent. This is worrisome as all the Packages were tendered together and work was allotted on the same date," he said.


The chief minister said that during his inspection, he spoke to the chief engineer, highways, and directed him to personally travel on these stretches and monitor the progress once every month. "As per agreement, these packages should be completed by November this year. We still have 6-7 months at hand to ensure that the timeline is maintained at any cost without compromising the quality of work," he said.


He appealed to all legislators, senior leaders, panchayat members, and the district administration to closely monitor the progress of work regularly. Admitting that during such large-scale construction works initial hiccups are bound to come, Khandu appealed to the people to have patience. "During road widening works, commuters will face difficulties but that is a part and parcel of development. We have to bear it for our good....From Daporijo I will be travelling to Mechuka via Aalo. I have been told that work on the Aalo-Mechuka road has also slowed down. I will personally inspect the same," he said.


Pointing out that connectivity has been a major challenge for the state, Khandu asserted that after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the country, road connectivity has received special attention.