ITANAGAR, April 1 � The Arunachal Government has decided to move the Centre to initiate talks with the Bhutan Government for construction of an alternate road along the foothills of Bhutan for smooth transportation of project machineries to the State without touching Assam.
The move comes in the wake of the frequent economic blockades being launched by Assam-based organisations against construction of mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh, particularly against 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project (LSHEP).
If the idea of the State Government clicks, the dream four-lane road project will start from Alipurduar in West Bengal and meander through the foothills of Bhutan beyond the periphery of Bhairabkunda in Assam to connect the foothills of Tenga in Arunachal and finally, the Nechipu stretch of Trans-Arunachal Highway without touching Assam to avoid frequent bandh calls and economic blockades by NGOs.
Responding to the plea of Congress MLA Takar Marde for an alternate road during zero hour discussion in the Assembly on Monday, PWD Minister Chowna Mein assured the House to take it up with the Prime Minister and the Union External Affairs Ministry for getting clearance.
Mein said that the proposed road would not only help Arunachal to transport machineries required for the power projects but would also be a boon towards opening border trade routes with Bhutan.
Arunachal was losing Rs 1 crore per day because of ongoing economic blockade by some organisations in Assam against NHPC�s 2,000 MW LSHEP, which was scheduled to be completed in December 2012, the Minister said.
Stressing the need to make people aware of the importance of construction of the small, medium and mega dams and their benefits, the Minister said the State Government has given utmost priority on safety and security of the people while constructing each and every dam. Once completed, LSHEP would equally help Assam through various ways, Mein added.
Earlier initiating the discussion, Marde informed the House that the Lower Subansiri project at Gerukamukh has been disrupted due to economic blockade launched by NGOs like Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) led by Akhil Gogoi and it has compelled NHPC to halt the hydro project work.
Marde advocated for determined and strong political will for executing the hydro projects in Arunachal saying that no country or State could develop without power projects. �Let us work out a strategy and move Centre for providing special package for construction of the alternate road to avoid the communication blockade in near future,� he said.
