Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu visited border areas in Tawang and interacted with soldiers posted there.
Interacting with Indian army personnel guarding the remote border outpost near Chuna in Tawang district of the state, CM Khandu said that development of border areas for ease of life – for the villagers and the soldiers – is a priority of the state as well as the central government.
He pointed that despite difficult terrains and harsh climatic conditions the pace of infrastructural development has accelerated in recent years.
“Policy towards border areas have changed for good since Narendra Modi became the prime minister. Lack of political will of the erstwhile government has changed into a commitment to develop all kinds of infrastructure for ease of life of the border people,” Khandu said.
He said earlier agencies like BRO, Indian army, ITBP, state govt departments, etc independently submitted their requirements for infrastructure development to the central government as per their own needs.
“Since a couple of years, we have started to coordinate and consult with each of these agencies and collectively submit proposals for border area development taking into consideration requirement of each agency. This way, it has become easier for the central government to decide and approve sanctions,” Khandu added.
Expressing pride on presence of Arunachal Scouts in the Chuna sector, Khandu said they, being sons of the soil, are well acclimatized to the altitude and weather and accustomed to local customs and way of life.
He informed that the central government has in principle agreed to raise four more companies of Arunachal Scouts soon.
Starting from Tawang on October 24, CM Khandu first visited the Yangtse border post, which was recently in news for a reported face-to-face between the Indian army and PLA.
The Arunachal CM, on behalf of the countrymen, expressed deep gratitude to the jawans manning the post who challenged the reported ‘infiltration’ and forced PLA to withdraw.
“We are safe because you guard our borders with utmost sincerity. People of India, especially of Arunachal Pradesh and particularly of Tawang district will remain indebted to you all forever,” he said.
Referring to the common request of army personnel as well as villagers for mobile connectivity, Khandu informed that recently the central government has approved and sanctioned installation of 980 4G mobile towers in the state. He assured first preference will be given to the border areas.
He expressed hope that the army will continue to maintain the great rapport and bonhomie developed over the years with the local residents as more than often the latter depend on the army for emergency and daily needs.
“People living in the border areas are our first sentinels marking the start of our territory. Jawans and officers will go on transfer after a few years but the locals will stay here forever. Please keep on the cordial relationship with them and as and when you leave the place, enlighten your relievers to continue the tradition of civil-military relation,” Khandu said.
