Itanagar, March 12: Pema Khandu on March 11 informed the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly that the crucial road connecting Longding district with Nokjan will be taken up for improvement under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund.
Replying to a question raised by Thangwang Wangham during Question Hour, the chief minister said a proposal to upgrade about 22 km of the road, excluding the highway portion, has been included in the priority list for funding from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways during the current financial year.
Khandu said the estimated cost of the proposed project is around ₹60 crore.
Providing further details, he told the House that the total length of the strategic road is about 28.82 km. Out of this, 9.81 km had already been taken up in 2011 with financial assistance from the North Eastern Council.
He added that approximately 7 km of the remaining stretch now falls under National Highway 215, while around 12 km is maintained by the state Rural Works Department, and the rest is under the Public Works Department Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the chief minister, the PWD division in Longding has already conducted technical inspections and assessments of the road and submitted the estimates to the Director (Project Coordinator) of the Planning and Investment Department for further action.
Earlier, Wangham had pointed out that the road serves as a crucial lifeline for residents of Longding district and also acts as an important link between the Wangsu community in Arunachal Pradesh and the Konyak tribe living across the border in Nagaland.
