'Arunachal needs pragmatic policies for devpt'

Itanagar, May 21: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has stressed the need for pragmatic policies to root out corruption and accelerate the pace of development of the state.

"Arunachal is one of the most corrupt states in the country because it lacks policies for implementing various projects", Mr Khandu said this while speaking at a felicitation programme of the ruling Congress here yesterday. He urged the partymen to suppport his efforts to make Arunachal a better place to live.

He said the state could become a major powerhouse of hydroelectricty if its potentialities were nurtured properly. "If the project is implemented properly the state could earn Rs 6,000 crore annually as royalty by 2020", he claimed.

Talking to the mediaperson at his office, he stated that his new policy to take advance from power developers including from the CPSUs would force the companies to expedite implementation of their projects.

The 600-MW Kameng hydropower projects, being executed by North East Electrical Power Corporation (NEEPCO) and 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri project by National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC), were expected to fetch Rs 312 crore per annum after their commissioned by 2011, he disclosed. The earning from hydropower projects will progressively increase to around Rs 6,000 crore by 2020, he added.

The Centre had already taken steps to rejuvenate the Public Distribution System(PDS) which had almost collapsed to make essential commodities, including rice, available to people in remote areas of the land-locked state.

The Food Corporation of India(FCI) has proposed to open six more depots in the state. ''The Centre had agreed to pay an enhanced rate of Rs 2.25 per quintal per km carriage charge on road and hill transport subsidy at Rs 125 per quintal per km, he stated.

The chief minister said the sick State Cooperative Apex Bank was expected to revive within three months as the Centre might grant loan.

Mr Khandu said his next priorities were the construction of buildings for the state Assembly, secretariat and his official bungalow. The plan for Assembly building was sanctioned, he informed.

State Finance Minister Kalikho Pul said the reactivation of PDS will solve the Apex bank problem. ''With the payment of the due bills by the PDS contractors the recovery will be faster,'' he asserted.

UNI