Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday urged people residing in border areas to stop migrating to other places. Addressing a public rally at Koloriang in remote Kurung Kumey district, Khandu exhorted the people to monitor all development projects so that funds are utilised judiciously without any chance of misuse.
"Don't allow the developmental funds to disappear into thin air," Khandu pleaded. Khandu, who is on a two-day visit to one of the most remote districts, became the first chief minister of the state to reach Damin located close to the India-China border.
Expressing concern over migration of people from border villages such as Damin, Khandu questioned who will monitor the developmental projects if residents keep on leaving the area, an official communiqué said.
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"Times have changed. Today remote and border villages are getting connected. It is time that people of these areas stop migrating to other places after abandoning the land of their forefathers. These areas must be developed and preserved for the future generations," he said.
When informed by BRO officials that improvement in road connectivity in the recent years has triggered a reverse migration, Khandu said it was a welcome trend. Encouraging people to return from their temporary settlements in urban areas to their own lands, Khandu said that in the next few years, connectivity in the border areas of the state will witness drastic improvement.
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"Very recently, the Union Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has approved sanction for the 1,500-km Frontier Highway that would connect all the border areas of the state from East to West and about 1,000 km of inter-connecting roads between the highways," he said.
Once the projects are completed, all the border districts will be well-connected, he said. After landing in Parsi-Parlo area in the morning, Khandu inaugurated the newly constructed 20.06 km PMGSY road from Parsi-Parlo to Yalluha. Responding to a few requests, Khandu assured funds for construction of sports stadium and museum (for Neolithic artefacts found in the area) in a phased manner.
(With PTI Inputs)
