Arunachal government assures construction of bridge after villagers threaten to boycott polls

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh government has assured to construct a bridge over a river that connects three villages in West Siang district with a population of nearly 400 odd people, who threatened to boycott the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state, due next year. People of three villages - Rime Moko, Pidi Rime and Todi Rime, in the district have threatened to boycott the elections if the government fails to construct a permanent bridge over a river, a key demand of them since 2014.

There is a makeshift bridge a 20-metre odd log with a rickety wooden railing on one side for a user to hold made by locals, but this is of no use during the monsoon as it goes below the rising water level of the Hijum River, a tributary of the Pisam. Government Spokesperson Nyamar Karbak on Tuesday assured a team of the Rime Welfare Society (RWS) led by its president Karsen Rime, that the state government would sanction funds for construction of an all-weather road to connect Tode (Hijum) Rime, with a bridge over Hijum River.

Karbak, who is also the MLA from Liromoba constituency in the district, said that the state government has already given necessary instructions to concerned departments to expedite works including survey, estimate and preparation of a detailed project report (DPR). "The state government has assured to complete the construction of the road and bridge over Hijum river before March next year," RWS general secretary Pokpe Rime informed.

On August 10, a team of RWD officials surveyed the site for construction of the bridge, he said. Rime added that an estimate prepared by the Rural Works Department of Aalo, the headquarters of West Siang district, has already been submitted to the chief engineer (eastern zone). "We have not completely called off our threat to boycott the polls. If the government is serious and fulfills our demand, we will certainly call off our poll boycott strategy," he said.

"At the moment, it has been kept on standby," he added. Meanwhile, the RWS anticipating early implementation of the assurances given by the government has assured to extend all cooperation to the government in the implementation of the project. It praised chief minister Pema Khandu for his prompt and positive response to redress the long-felt demand for proper road connectivity to Tode Rime village. The villages fall under Aalo West assembly constituency represented by industries minister Tumke Bagra and Arunachal West Parliamentary constituency represented by union Earth Sciences minister Kiren Rijiju.

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