ITANAGAR, July 19 - Admitting that there was �inordinate delay� in construction of the 68-km-long road from Lalpur to Changlang � a portion of Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) project, Arunachal Pradesh PWD Minister Gojen Gadi has informed that the executing agency has been served the �last warning� to resume and complete the road construction work at the earliest failing which the government will cancel its agreement.
Taking part in a �zero hour discussion� initiated by BJP member Laisam Simai in the State Assembly on Friday, the PWD Minister said that the department, taking serious note of lethargic attitude of the Mumbai-based Delta SPC Company toward the project work, now limping for last five years, served �notices� twelve times asking it to resume work and accordingly, it resumed work in last June but stopped again for which a penalty of Rs 4.71 crore was imposed.
Taken up in 2011, the construction of said portion of TAH, with 61-km formation cutting complete, is currently stopped. It was scheduled to be completed by March 6, 2014 and again revised for March 30, 2015 completion, but the company has miserably failed to accomplish the target.
�On July 16, the State Government gave its last notice to the company and subsequently, the latter has given the assurance to resume the �abandoned� works from September next on a war-footing,� the Minister told the House.
Earlier, raising the matter, the BJP member from Nampong under Changlang district informed that the construction of Lalpur to Changlang road � the first TAH portion � was started in 2011 and presently, the project work with just 36 per cent progress came to a complete halt.
The road, considered as the lifeline of three Circles including Manmao, is in a dilapidated condition and the transport operators are unwilling to ply their vehicles through the road with the local populace suffering the most especially during medical exigencies.
While drawing the attention of the government, the BJP member said, �Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts are known for all the wrong reasons but the people of the three districts are peace-loving and yearning for development. �Their wish for development should not be undermined,� Simai said.