Over ₹1,100 crore for critical infra along China border

The Union authorities has given the go-ahead for critical infrastructure growth in Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated value of greater than ₹1,100 crore. It would come with development of roads and 18 foot-tracks measuring 598 km, a senior authorities official mentioned.

The official mentioned most initiatives have been earmarked in areas along the China border in north and northeast a part of Arunachal.

Arunachal shares its longest border with China, adopted by Myanmar and Bhutan.

Pace of growth

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, who’s a Member of Parliament from Arunachal, mentioned the tempo of growth along the China border had picked up after 2014.

“Earlier, the government followed a restrictive policy and areas along the China border were not developed much. Many projects have been sanctioned along the China border now and the construction is taking place at a fast pace. The project includes motorable road, mule tracks and facilities for porters,” Mr. Rijiju instructed The Puucho.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in December 2020, cleared a proposal for “development of critical infrastructure” in Arunachal Pradesh “at a cost of ₹1162.19 crore”.

China has made fast strides in border areas of Arunachal by organising new villages and a labyrinth of street community, together with highways.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel took round 21 days to march on foot to the final patrolling level on the Arunachal-China border resulting from lack of street and foot-tracks, the official mentioned.

Build-up continues

India and China not too long ago reached a consensus to withdraw from the north and south banks of Pangong Tso (lake) in jap Ladakh after a 10-month face-off. The build-up continues in different areas in Ladakh- Depsang, Demchok, Gogra-Hotsprings and Galwan Valley, the place patrolling by Indian troops inside India’s notion of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been blocked by the Chinese troops.

In September 2020, the CCS cleared a proposal for development of 32 roads underneath section II of the Indo-China Border Roads (ICBR) scheme. The roads, measuring 638.12 km and amounting to ₹12,434.90 crore, are to come back up in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

The first section was initiated in 2005, when it was determined that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would assemble 27 precedence roads totalling 608 km along China areas at an estimated value of ₹912 crore and different 14 roads might be constructed by companies such because the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

The first section has missed a number of deadlines, and in November 2017, on the top of the Doklam disaster, the Cabinet sanctioned one other ₹3482.52 crore to finish the development of roads by December 2020.

According to a December 2019 report of a parliamentary standing committee, in all 137 roads are to be constructed along the China border in three phases- 41 underneath phase-I, 46 underneath phase-II and 50 in phase-III.