3,000 km roads to be improved under SARDP-NE

Itanagar, Jun 13 (UNI) The Centre has included about 3,000 kms road length to be executed in Arunachal Pradesh under Phase A and B of its Special Accelerated Road Development Programme - North East (SARDP-NE).

Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Mr T R Baalu, in a letter to Arunachal Pradesh MP Kiren Rijiju, while informing this said that the main objective was to provide improved connectivity to the district headquarters of the state besides improving some roads of strategic importance serving remote and backward areas.

Mr Rijiju had recently raised the matter in the Lok Sabha regarding road connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh.

The minister further informed that the construction of 1,200 km long East-West Highway as conceptualised by the Planning Commission, would involve huge investment and would not be possible to extend to Arunachal Pradesh at this stage.

He, however, added that while providing improved connectivity to the district headquarters under the SARDP-NE Phase B, about half the length of the East-West Highway would have been constructed and the remaining length could be taken up after connectivity to the district headquarters was completed.

Mr Baalu also suggested Mr Rijiju to take up with the Ministry of Defence regarding widening of defence road from Tezpur in Asom to Tawang, which was being maintained by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

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