Our Correspondent
Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government will impress upon the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to fast track tender process for executing the 407 km Potin-Panging stretch of the ambitious Trans Arunachal Highway, Chief Minister Pema Khandu informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
Replying to the observations raised in the House by BJP member Kento Jini during a Short Duration discussion on the ambitious road, considered as lifeline for six districts – Lower Siang, West Siang, Lower Subansiri, Upper Subansiri, Kamle and Lepa Rada, Khandu said that while execution of TAH in other parts of the state were going smoothly, the Potin-Panging stretch could not be executed for various reasons including compensation issue.
He informed that the union MoRTH ministry had allocated the work on the stretch of the road to the Hyderabad-based ECI Engineering & Constructions Pvt Ltd during 2012 but the company failed.
“In 2018 the State Government prepared a detailed project report for execution of the road portion in nine packages and submitted it to the ministry. The ministry, however, rejected the proposal and decided to go ahead the project in three packages and accordingly floated tenders but no one participated in the tender process,” Khandu pointed out.
He said, recently the ministry had decided to execute the road in nine packages basing on the DPR prepared by the State Government and tender would be floated soon and fund allocation would be made.
“I will request the ministry to fast track the project keeping in view the problems faced by the people of the six districts and will also request the ministry to constitute a committee to monitor execution of works,” Khandu said and requested the people to reduce the compensation amount so that the works could be completed. He assured to personally monitor the works on the Potin-Panging road.
The Chief Minister also informed that the survey works on East West Industrial Corridor along the foothills of the state, have been completed and DPR would be prepared soon.
Moreover, he said, the Union MoRTH Ministry has floated tender for survey works on the proposed Frontier Highway in the state along the international border which would connect all districts of the State. Members participating in the discussion suggested the government to evolve a mechanism for minimising the compensation amount and constituting a committee to monitor execution of the vital road.