A CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: MLA Tesam Pongte said that good roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits. They are important in order to make society grow and develop. And providing a better road facility in every single village has always been his priority since being elected as the legislator of the 53rd Changlang constituency. Tesam Pongte, who was elected as a legislator in 2014, said that road connectivity has improved much better in his constituency as compared to before. Roads within the town are better, and the work to connect villages with the district headquarters with better road communication is in progress.
Responding to the recent allegations by the villagers of Khuchep village over poor PMGSY road conditions, Pongte said that the road construction work comes under PMGSY. The work started in 2007 and was completed in 2017. The village is around 27 kilometres from the district headquarter, Changlang. He said the road project was already a ‘sick project’ since the construction work began in 2007. Also, there is a strict guideline under PMGSY-III that no new sanction is being provided until the completion of 10 years.
“In the year 2014, I was elected as the MLA, and since then I have ensured and made every effort to provide quality roads for the villagers. And I didn’t let the construction work delay or be put on halt due to any reasons,” he said, adding that he is well aware that the road to the village is the lifeline of the villagers. Pongte said that he has, in his personal capacity, invested Rs. 15, 000 per kilometre for the clearance of the jungle on the village road. The bridges on the way to the villages, which remained rusted, were also renovated. There are around 12 villages between Simrang and Khuchep village.
“I was also aware that a few areas of the road may sink due to the Tirap River, which actually happened. Therefore, I managed funds from SIDF and renovated the existing diversion road connecting the village. All my actions are not to impress anyone, but I feel it’s my responsibility and concern for my people,” he added.
He said Arunachal Pradesh is an entirely hilly area with almost eight months of monsoon season. Hence, rainfall and the topography of the state are serious challenges to the completion and delay of any road construction work. Hence, the public should also understand the ground reality and cooperate in any developmental work.
On the sidelines, informing about the condition and presenting updates on the road connecting Changlang to Margherita, Pongte said that the stretch is one of the lifelines for the entire public of Changlang district. It hardly takes three hours for someone to reach Changlang district headquarters from Margherita, Assam.
The road condition has been pathetic in the past few years due to various reasons, a natural calamity due to heavy rainfall being one of them. However, recently, in the year 2022, during the budget session, the state government sanctioned funds for a 20-kilometre stretch. The actual distance from Margherita to the Changlang checkpoint is around 38km.
Pongte also informed the pathetic road condition within the stretch of around 10km from the Assam check post has been repeatedly appraised to the counterpart legislator. Following the delay, the matter was also appraised by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has approved the construction work.
He appealed to the public in his constituency to cooperate with the district administration and road construction agency for quality roads for the all-around development of the district.
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