Trans-Arunachal highway to be completed on time: C P Joshi

Work on the ambitious two-lane Trans-Arunachal Highway Project was progressing well and is expected to be completed within schedule, said CP Joshi, Union minister of road transport and highways. The project, which was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 31, 2008 on his maiden visit to the state, is scheduled to be completed by 2015-16.

Joshi said out of 2,400 km, works have been awarded for 1,500 km and 100 km stretch has already been completed. “The project is moving well, and we expect it to be completed on time,” he added.

While announcing the project in 2008, Singh had said: “"This will be a priority project costing Rs 5,500 crore. It will be a flagship highway and one of the most important new-road projects to be taken up by my government."

The two-lane highway will span from Tawang, in the western Arunachal Pradesh, to Mahadeopur, in the eastern Arunachal Pradesh. The highway will pass through Bomdi La, Nechipur, Seppa, Sagalee, Ziro, Daporijo, Along, Pasighat, Roing, Teju, Namchik, Changlang, Khonsa and Kanubari.

Our of 17 districts, 11 district headquarters would be connected by the highway and five other district headquarters would be connected to the highway by two-lane link roads.

Joshi further said that under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme, North East (SARDP-NE), Phase I, 6,418 km road would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 33, 688 crore. He said works are presently being executed by the state Public Works Departments (PWDs), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the ministry of road transport and highways.