Plea to Modi on Arunachal highway project

GUWAHATI, Sep 24
A senior BJP leader from Arunachal Pradesh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing his attention to a proposed national highway project cleared “in principle” in 2017 but allegedly awaiting formal clearance from the Prime Minister’s Office even after the final feasibility report was cleared in 2018.
The proposed highway from Meb-Geko to Itanagar via Gerukamukh/Gogamukh in Assam, would not only cut distance between three remote districts of Upper Subansiri, Siang and Kamle and state capital Itanagar by around 145km and 185km on two existing roads but also give a boost to the local economy and the speedy movement of troops, heavy artillery and logistic support systems in the event of any national emergency, Larbin Nasi, former MLA and executive member of the state BJP, told The Telegraph.
The existing road from Daporijo, one of the remotest district headquarters, of Upper Subansiri, strategically located near the India-China border, to Itanagar via Ziro has a distance of 335km and the alternative route via Basar/Likabali is 375km. Both the roads have been in a deplorable condition ever since they were taken over by the ministry of road transport and highways from the Border Roads Organisation since 2009, Nasi said in his letter to Modi.
The former MLA has also highlighted the importance of the proposed highway by stressing that Ashsapila, Maja and Sera-7 border posts under the control of Indian Army are reportedly under serious threat now. The Chinese have reportedly built up massive infrastructure and road connectivity near these posts — Sera-1 to Sera-9 — whereas there is no road on the Indian side.
China considers Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. In the 1962 Indo-China war, the state was affected, including Upper Subansiri, which is “as the crow flies it is about 90km from border”. “The only means to reach these posts and patrol by the Indian Army is through porter track and temporary ladders and suspension bridges for several days in inhospitable and harsh mountain terrains from administrative circles of Nacho, Limeking and Taksing. If these posts are captured by China, PLA (People’s Liberation Army) will be in (an) advantageous position because of their heights. As such, the threat of intrusion by PLA is imminent and is all the more vulnerable now with porous international border. The construction of this highway has become all the more relevant and urgent in view of current border conflict,” Nasi said.
The people of the three districts have a long-standing demand for a shorter route originating from Meb-Geko near Daporijo connecting Gerukamukh/Gogamukh in Assam..
The Telegraph