Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road to be completed by 2021

ITANAGAR, Aug 28: The strategic Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road approved by the Centre ten years back has been delayed of its completion target due to fund constraint and forest clearance, the assembly was informed on Tuesday.

The road being executed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which lead to the Tawang, bordering China, is the life line for three districts of the State namely East Kameng, West Kameng and Tawang.

Responding to a question raised in the house by senior BJP MLA Japu Deru during Question Hour, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein informed that as per information received from the BRO authorities, the main reason for delay in completion of the road in the last ten years was due to meagre fund allocation by the Centre and delay in forest clearance for the stretch of the road between Km 50 to Km 80. “The forest clearance for this stretch of the road has been received in 2016 and finalization of land acquisition at many stretches including Dirang by-pass and Jung Town has been made. The road is now planned to be completed by December 2021 for which an amount of Rs 1300 crore is required,” Mein informed quoting BRO report. He said the required amount is only for land acquisition and construction of the road along with major bridges but not included the cost for construction of the Sela Tunnel.

Responding to a supplementary from Deru, the deputy chief minister informed that another factor for the delay was due to request from the army authorities to halt construction of the road as construction of another important road; Orang- Kalaktang-Shergaon-Rupa-Tenga (OKSRT) Road is going on from Assam touching the Bhutan border.