Potin-Pangin stretch to complete by Nov Arunachal CM urge Agncy

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday urged the agencies working on the 400-km Potin-Pangin stretch of the Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) to complete the construction of the road within the timeline of November this year.

Khandu, who is on a road trip from Itanagar to Mechuka, a major part of which passes through Potin-Pangin stretch, expressed concern over the slow pace of work, especially in packages 3 and 4.
Addressing the golden jubilee function of Mopin at Daporijo in Upper Subansiri district, Khandu said that while sections of the TAH in other districts of the state are almost complete and functional, the delay on Potin-Pangin stretch is interesting.

The Potin-Pangin section of the highway was earlier under a package. A statement issued by the CMO said that at the request of the state government, the section was divided into nine packages, and the work was allotted to different construction agencies.
“Work on package 2 is 99 per cent complete while package 1 is fully complete. However, I am told that the progress of work on package 4 is 61 per cent and on package 5 it is only 53 per cent. This is worrisome as all the packages were tendered together and the work was allotted on the same date,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that during his inspection he spoke to the Chief Engineer of Highways and directed him to personally travel on these routes and monitor the progress once every month.

According to the agreement, these packages will be completed by November this year. We still have 6-7 months to ensure that the timeline is maintained at any cost without compromising the quality of work.
He appealed to all legislators, senior leaders, panchayat members and district administration to regularly monitor the progress of the work.

Acknowledging that there are bound to be initial hiccups during such massive construction works, Khandu appealed to people for patience.

“During road widening works, commuters will face inconvenience but it is part and parcel of development. We have to bear it for our own good.
“From Daporijo, I will go to Mechuka via Aalo. I have been told that work on the Aalo-Michoca road has also slowed down. I will personally inspect it,” he said.

Pointing out that connectivity has been a major challenge for the state, Khandu asserted that after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the country, special attention has been given to road connectivity.