Centre okays two key road projects for Arunachal

The Union government on January 21 approved the construction of two roads in Arunachal Pradesh - Bameng to Lada (55 kms) and Miao to Vijaynagar (157 kms) - in principle under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

The Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh conveyed this to Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, who met him in New Delhi to discuss various matters related to the rural development sector in the state, sources said.

Due to lack of road communication in Lada, a remote circle headquarter in East Kameng district, majority of the inhabitants - mostly Sajalongs and Puroiks - have migrated to settle in the foothills of East Kameng and West Kameng. Likewise, Vijaynagar, also a circle headquarter in Changlang district, has been facing myriad problems due to incompletion of the Miao-Vijayanagar road.

Though the road has reached Vijaynagar from Miao, it remains closed or unfit for vehicular movement most of the time. Tuki invited Ramesh to lay the foundation stones of both the important roads. In a positive gesture, the Union minister consented to visit Arunachal from 18 to 20 February next. During the meeting, Ramesh reiterated the commitment of his ministry towards the development of the frontier state.