ITANAGAR, Dec 13 � The Centre has assured Arunachal Pradesh to expedite the process for sanctioning of the ambitious Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) that was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January 2008.
The assurance came from Union Minister for Surface Transport and Highways C P Joshi, when Chief Minister Nabam Tuki called on him at New Delhi yesterday, official sources said here.
Tuki apprised the Minister that due to delay in approval and sanctioning of proposals under the Highway project its implementation at the ground level was getting delayed.
The Chief Minister requested for expediting the process of clearing the road projects under the PM�s package and also sought the Minister�s intervention in obtaining approval for the State Government�s proposal for roads to connect all the districts under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARDP).
Joshi directed the officials of his Ministry to do the necessary and expedite the process and put up the proposals for immediate approval, sources added.
The TAH, a trunk route of about 1,811 km in length, would be developed to 2-lane NH standards to link Tawang in north-western tip of Arunachal to Kanubari in south-eastern end of the State and finally ending at NH 52 near Akajan on the right-side of Bogibeel bridge near Dibrugrah in Assam.
The Highway, passing through mid-belt of the State, will inter-connect 12 out of the 16 district headquarter towns of the State, they added.
Within Arunachal Pradesh the Highway will connect district headquarters and other important places such as Tawang, Bomdila, Nechiphu, Seppa, Sagalee, Yupia, Yazali, Ziro, Daporijo, Aalo, Pasighat, Roing, Tezu, Mahadevpur, Bordumsa, Namchik, Changlang, Khonsa, Longding and Kanubari and help greatly in reducing isolation of the people.
Out of about 1811 km, about 290 km forms part of NH 52 and 10 km of NH 153.
The whole length of 1811 km, including the link roads in Assam, would be declared as a separate National Highway, the process of which is already on in the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highway, Government of India.
The tentative cost of the Highway is estimated to be about Rs 5,500 crore as
mentioned in the PM�s Package. � PTI
