Aruchal pleads Centre for special package
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
Itagar, April 24: Aruchal Pradesh today pleaded Centre for a one-time special package to bail out the liabilities of 2000 crore inherited from the previous Congress government.
Chief Minister Kalikho Pul during a function organised to celebrate the tiol Panchayati Raj Day as part of Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, urged Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who was also present on the occasion, to pursue the Centre for the special package to overcome the liabilities.
“Being a scent state in terms of development, Aruchal Pradesh depends cent per cent on central funding,” he said while pleading the union minister to impress upon the Centre for early release of all remaining fund against various projects.
Pul disclosed that the Centre had already assured to provide additiol Rs 380 crore for the four-laning of Banderdewa to Hollongi NH-415 besides providing solar lights to eighty thousand households in the state this year.
“The work on the NH-415 will commence from September next after evicting all illegal structure being erected to claim compensation,” he said.
Terming Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) as a bridge to development, the chief minister informed that since schemes formulation and implementation starts in villages, PRIs play an important role.
“The state government has revived the PRIs by providing more power and functions and the local self governce has a major role to play,” he said.
The chief minister informed that women empowerment is getting more priority in the state with the government making sufficient budgetary provisions for women this year.
“Many steps have been taken up for women including establishment of women police stations and introducing 24-hour bus services in the state capital to be run by women drivers and conductors,” he added.
Lamenting over the poor implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the state capital, Pul asked the municipal authorities to coordite with the PRIs and students of schools and colleges and to conduct cleanliness drive at least thrice in a month.
Referring to the tragedy at Tawang where 18 persons were killed by landslides, Pul directed the chief secretary to inspect all the under construction buildings in the state capital whether those buildings have been constructed according to the building bye-laws and to issue order for demolition if prior permission were not taken and no building bye-laws were followed during construction.
“The PRIs and municipal committee should play an active role in making the people aware on the building bye laws in the capital to prevent major disaster in the future as the state lies in the seismic zone V,” he said adding, “If we are alert and aware, disaster can be avoided.
The chief minister also administered the oath to the PRIs on the occasion. Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo, who also holds the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj portfolio, in his speech, disclosed various activities undertaken in the state.
He urged the PRIs to raise revenue locally to strengthen the state’s exchequer.
Stating that strengthening PRI was the commitment of the state government, Dolo further added that the state had adopted a three-tier monitoring system for all central schemes right from state level to district level and block level to maintain transparency in works.
