Construction work on allimportant highways in Arunachal Pradesh is being carried out during the lockdown period while adhering to COVID-19 precautions, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Tuesday.He said this while attending a video conference with Union minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.Several highway construction projects, including the Trans National Highway(TAH), are going on in the state.The TAH is an ambitious two-lane highway project covering 2000 km from Tawang district in the west to Longding district in the eastern part of the state. Several phases of the TAH project have been completed.Land acquisition issues are also being taken up on a priority basis, the chief minister said.Movement of vehicles carrying essential items to the state is being carried out smoothly, Khandu said.Mentioning that connectivity is a priority for the state, Khandu, who also holds the PWD portfolio, requested the union minister for clearing the pending projects pertaining to four-laning of the Itanagar-Banderdewa road, two laning of the Hukanjuri-Khonsa road of NH-315A and measures to check erosion on the Hollongi-Itanagar highway, officials said.The video conference was organised by Gadkari with Transport and PWD ministers of all states for ensuring hassle free movement of goods in the lockdown period and resumption of work on highways across the country.In a detailed guideline issued after the lockdown was extended till May 3, the government had said it would allow resumption of certain economic activities in key sectors like construction, agriculture and manufacturing.
