Centre mulls road along international boundary in Arunachal Pradesh to counter China

ITANAGAR: To counter China's growing influence India is planning to construct a road along the international boundary from Mago-Thingbu in Arunachal's Tawang district to Vijaynagar in Changlang district. The road will connect the border areas of the land-locked state.

"The road will curb large-scale migration of people from the border areas. We will arrange for basic amenities to make them comfortable," Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday.

The proposed 2,000km-long road which is still being conceptualized will be beneficial from the point of view of security and will accelerate border area development.

Rijiju who is in charge of border area management in the home ministry said that Union minister of road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, has entrusted him with the responsibility of looking after road projects in the northeast (except Assam).

"This road will be in addition to another one from Bhairab Kund, the tri-junction of Bhutan, Assam and Arunachal, to Ruksin in East Siang district. This road will serve as an industrial corridor for people residing in the foothills of Arunachal," he said.

"The construction of the road will be a huge challenge considering the rough and hostile terrain through which it will pass. It will be the single-biggest infrastructure project in the history of the country, with an estimated cost of over Rs 40,000 crore," he added.

Rijiju said he had recently convened a meeting with the Army as well as other stakeholders on the proposed road project. He also said the Centre after consulting the state government will utilize the service of central forces like ITBP and BSF for supplying rice to the people free of cost.

"Alternative arrangements like air sorties will be made available in inaccessible border areas till road infrastructure is developed," he added.

When asked on a proposal to introduce a Rajdhani Express between Itanagar and New Delhi from November, Rijiju said the state government has been asked to work out the modalities.

"We will not compromise with the interests of the state's indigenous tribal population. Local sentiments will be taken care of," he said and added that Arunachal cannot remain isolated forever.