Taking serious view of repeated complaints against deteriorating work quality in the construction and maintenance of border roads, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul today said that any compromise on work quality could have serious security ramifications.
Interacting with Assistant Director General of Border Roads Dr S S Porwal here, the chief minister said since Arunachal is a strategic border state, the security issues attached with road construction could not be taken lightly, an official report said.
"While neighbouring China has built high quality roads, railways and airways in the vicinity, our Indian side is still struggling with porter tracks and unable to even maintain single border road," Pul said while pointing out the delay in completion of several border roads such as in Tawang.
He also brought to the notice of BRO official over repeated public complaints on BRO's construction materials being sold in the open market.
Terming it as 'unfortunate', he said, "BRO is in Arunachal not for commercial purpose but in the interest of nation and to serve the people".
Referring to the leakage of construction materials as serious offence, the chief minister informed that instruction had been issued to all district administrations and police department to immediately arrest all such offenders and to conduct surprise checks to prevent such practice.
He also urged the people not to purchase construction material illegally from BRO but to buy it from genuine dealers in the market.
Asking the BRO to stay alert during natural calamity such as flood, Pul advised the officials to resolve all its internal limitations informing that road communication in Tawang, Anini, Hawai and Chaglagam were presently cut off.
Also to make BRO competent enough to serve the people, he advised the BRO officials to increase its manpower and to supplement it with modern machines and equipments.
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Suggesting measures to enable safe ride on hilly roads for the commuters, the chief minister urged for construction of crash barrier in all identified accident prone areas to protect vehicles and its occupants from falling off the cliff.
To prevent head on collision between two approaching vehicles, the chief minister advised to install convex mirror; so that driver could see the traffic approaching from another side.
On small streams and rivulets, he advised the BRO not to use hume pipe culverts as it was observed that such construction did not provide convenience passage of flowing water, and instructed to use box culvert instead.
Pointing out that BRO had the practise of clearing landslides only to make way for vehicles temporarily, the CM said the uncleared part of the landslide posed risk to the commuter and suggested that any restoration work should be done to bring permanent solution.
He advised to construct proper drainage channel along the road for durability and safety, the report added.
