NEW DELHI, April 9 - The Centre has urged the Arunachal Pradesh Government to expedite execution of stalled projects.
The request was made by Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh to Arunachal Chief Minister Kalikho Pul when the latter called on him on Thursday to discuss in detail issues concerning the State.
In his first meeting after taking over as Chief Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh brought to the notice of Pul that there are certain pending projects in Arunachal Pradesh, which require to be taken up on urgent basis. In this regard, he particularly mentioned the construction of Airport at Itanagar which, he said, had got unduly delayed because of the issues related to identification of site and land acquisition.
Singh said that the demand for an airport has been longstanding and the people of Arunachal Pradesh should no longer be deprived of it. He suggested to the Chief Minister to expedite this project and initiate the construction work at the earliest.
Connectivity is a major issue in Arunachal Pradesh, said Dr Jitendra Singh, as a result of which the scenic richness of the State remains under-utilised and tourist potential also does not receive its maximum benefit.
Another delayed project which Dr Singh referred to was the setting up of the Film and Television Institute in the State. He said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had allocated a Film Institute to the State in last year�s budget, but till date, the formalities regarding land identification and acquisition have not been finalised, as a result of which, the work could not start. He urged upon the Chief Minister to expedite this project which would be a boost for film shooting units and also add to the State�s revenue.
The Union Minister also referred to the construction of Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex at Itanagar for which the initial timeline was February-March 2015, which means that there is already a delay of over one year.
He conveyed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking personal interest in each of the developmental projects in Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in other North Eastern States and therefore, this is a great opportunity for the State, which should not be missed.
Kalikho Pul during his maiden visit to the capital after taking over as Chief Minister of the State had met the Prime Minister besides a host of Union Ministers.
