ITANAGAR, Aug 21 � Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways C P Joshi has given an assurance to put the Trans Arunachal Highway (TAH) on the fast track by removing all bottlenecks, particularly the environmental and forest clearance.
Joshi�s assurance came after two high-level review meetings on the progress of the ambitious project on August 12 and 17 last at New Delhi, Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Takam Sanjoy said in a press release here.
The review meetings were held against the backdrop of letters written to Joshi recently by Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin and Sanjoy, seeking the granting of environment clearance for the construction and renovation of the 2,319 km road by the ministry under the Arunachal package of roads and highways.
The state PWD has been entrusted the 750 km pre-construction activities of BoT (annuity) projects of the Nechiphu-Hoj and Potin- Pangin roads and bridges across Dibang and Lohit river systems for executing the project.
Sanjoy who attended the review meetings said that completion of the project was a top priority agenda for the Centre as it was a part of the PM�s package announced for the state in his maiden visit to the state during 2008.
�The road project is very important for national security as the double-lane highway will link 11 of the 16 district headquarters of Arunachal, including Tawang along the Sino-India border,� Sanjoy said.
Joshi informed that the letter of award for the 311 km Nechiphu- Hoj and the 407 km Potin-Pangin roads would be issued shortly, Sanjoy said.
Supporting the state government�s effort for obtaining speedy forest clearance for stage-II of the project, Sanjoy in his letter to Joshi on August 11, had pointed out that Commission for Climatology condition for forest clearance before commencing work was not linked to award of work. � PTI
