Arunachal Pradesh: 150 border villages in Tawang get tourism boost

Some 150 border villages in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh are being developed under the government's 'Vibrant Village Programme' (VVP), an initiative to promote tourism.

Tawang district shares its border with China. "More villages are included in the second phase of Vibrant Village Programme," Namgyal Angmo, deputy commissioner of Tawang, told ET. "Massive infrastructure development work is taking place, connectivity is improved, both physically and digitally."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier virtually inaugurated a state-of-the-art integrated convention centre at Tawang, built at a cost of Rs 147 crore. The infrastructure projects are the second phase of VVP.


Tawang is seeing improvement in connectivity in the region on the back of infrastructure development work, such as the high-altitude, bi-lane road tunnel at Sela.

Modi last year inaugurated the world's longest high-altitude bi-lane road tunnel at Sela in Arunachal Pradesh for easier troop logistics.

Angmo said tourist footfall in Tawang has been increasing. "People are flocking to new destinations in Tawang like Mago and Chuna. Tawang's ecology is fragile and we are ensuring balance between the development and the sensitivity of the area."