Itanagar, Feb 20: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday asserted that the multi-crore Frontier Highway project will be a game changer for the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
Speaking at the 39th Statehood Day celebrations here, Rijiju said this is the “highest allocation ever made by the Centre for a single project” in the country.
“The Frontier Highway is going to be the largest road project in the history of India. It is going to be around 1,400 kilometres long, and close to Rs 42,000 crore will be invested. It is going to transform the border areas of the state,” he said.
The Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister, however, expressed concern over potential hurdles due to compensation issues.
“My appeal to the people is, please don’t try to inflate bills to claim compensation. Don’t create obstructions. If a land issue comes up, it will delay projects,” he said.
He cited the East-West Corridor, also known as the Industrial Corridor, which is “facing delays due to compensation and forest clearance issues”.
The Arunachal Frontier Highway (AFH), officially notified as the National Highway NH-913 and also called Bomdila-Vijaynagar Highway (BVH), will start from Bomdila and pass through Nafra, Huri and Monigong. The stretch will culminate at Vijaynagar, near the India-Myanmar border, officials said.
Key places the highway will connect are Tawang, Mago Upper Subansiri, Upper Siang, Mechuka, Tuting, Dibang Valley, Kibithoo, Changlang and Dong.
The project includes an 800-km greenfield section, and a network of new tunnels and bridges along the India-China border, the officials said.
Rijiju said that prior to 2014, securing allocations for a single project was difficult, but after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, the situation changed.
“The prime minister’s focus is on the development of the northeast, and he instructed all ministers to visit northeastern states every 15 days to understand their problems and act accordingly,” he said.
“Arunachal Pradesh is the most resourceful state in the country, but for development, peace is a prerequisite,” the minister said.
Reflecting on its journey from a Union Territory to a full-fledged state, Rijiju credited all former chief ministers for their contribution in making it possible. (PTI)
