Road network along Sino-India border

New Delhi, July 4: The forum of Trans Himalayan Parliamentarian has welcomed the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for construction of a 608 Kilo meter road network along the Sino-India border stretching from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir to Diphu-La in Arunachal Pradesh.

Forum convenor Kiren Rijiju in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated that it has been the long standing demand of the forum for better road connectivity on Indo-China border areas. Although the decision is too late it is in the right direction for an area which has been neglected for the past several years, he added.

The letter says that if a proper study is made, 608 Km is less even for the State of Arunachal Pradesh. The financial involvement of Rs 912 crore is very little for such a vital project of road network in sensitive and large Himalayan region.

The letter regrets that the planning authorities always overlook the topographic difficulties and harsh climatic condition like excessive rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, while determining the costs of projects and maintenance.

The forum members request the PM to have a holistic approach to the entire issue and increase the physical and financial components of the projects so that the people of the Himalayan belt who are the sentinels of the country can be brought the mainstream of development. It would also be useful for the country's defence, the letter added.

UNI