Arunachal CM anguish over land compensation rates for airport

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday voiced anguish over the objections raised by few sections of the society over land compensation rates when the central government has cleared all decks for construction of the first full-fledged airport of the state at Hollongi.

'I had promised the people that I will make the Hollongi airport a reality in my tenure. It feels my heart with pain to know that when the project is about to take off, few people are raising objections. I want to tell them that please understand the airport is not only for Hollongi but the entire state,' he said.

The CM was speaking at the inauguration of the first-ever in Arunachal Pradesh steel arch bridge over River Kurung at Laayang in Kurung Kumey district connecting Sangram and rest of the world with Nyobia circle here.

Underlining the importance of connectivity for overall development of the region and welfare of the people living in remote villages, Khandu asserted the state government, with handholding extended by the central government and especially by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

'I can say almost certainly that many of you here in the gathering have come all the way from Itanagar, where you are settled now. I wonder how could you possibly leave behind your original homesteads blessed abundantly by nature and settle elsewhere?' he questioned while blaming the lack of connectivity, which he said is the main cause of migration from rural places to towns in the state.

'For years our plans and policies were centralised and limited to Itanagar and few towns. We made schemes and programs for the people sitting at Itanagar without taking into account the aspirations of the rural people. Therefore we failed to provide basic necessities to the people living in villages even after more than 70 years of Independence,' he pointed.

He also noted that the 'system' has changed and his government is committed to decentralise the planning process by strengthening the institution of deputy commissioners.

'No more planning will be done sitting in Itanagar (the state capital of Arunachal Pradesh). Every last person in the queue will be heard and their aspirations met,' Khandu said, adding only thing needed now is a political will, which Team Arunachal will provide.

--IANS

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