Balipara-Tawang road project in Arunachal to be completed by 2021

Itanagar, Oct 23 : A senior Border Roads Organization (BRO) official said on Monday that the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road project in Arunachal Pradesh will be completed by 2021.

BRO Chief Engineer of Project Vartak, K.P. Purushothaman, who briefed Chief Minister Pema Khandu on the status of roads being constructed by BRO in western Arunachal Pradesh, said that BCT road project includes three bypasses - Bomdila bypass, Dirang bypass and Jung bypass. While the works are on for construction of the Bomdila bypass, the other two bypasses are still at the survey stage.

Besides the bypasses, two tunnels are part of the project that will allow commuters bypass the snow-covered Sela Pass and save hours of journey to Tawang. The total length of the tunnels will be 2.215 km with approach roads of 9.92 km.

Detailed Project Report is being framed for the Rs 581.13 crore project.

The BCT road with a total length 317.52 km in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is under improvement to National Highway Double Lane (NHDL) specifications. As of date, 56.21 per cent progress has been made on the road, the official said.

However, Khandu expressed concern over the inordinate delay in completion of the stretch between Bhalukpong to Bomdila, which he said is causing undue hardships to commuters.

He urged the BRO to expedite the work and offered all cooperation from the state government side.

The Chief Engineer though assured that a considerable difference will be visible on the stretch after one month.

On pending issues like land acquisition for construction of roads, Khandu sought a detailed list from the BRO and assured to take these up with the local administrations.

Meanwhile, Khandu advised the BRO not to change the indigenous nomenclatures of places, which has been a trend in the recent past. He said change of original nomenclatures of places, sites, natural landscapes, etc is against the sentiments of the local populace, who pride in their traditions and culture.