NEW DELHI: The central government has sanctioned Rs 28,229 crore for the construction of the 1,637 km Arunachal Frontier Highway connecting 12 districts of the state along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the India-China international border.
The Arunachal Frontier Highway, which is estimated to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore, is seen as a move to counter China's aggression along Arunachal Pradesh.
The project will also contribute to the socio-economic development of the border state.
The highway is being constructed along the 'India-Tibet-China-Myanmar' border and the road project will be as close as 20 km from the LAC and international borders.
It road will start from Bomdila and pass through Nafra, Huri and Monigong towns, which are closer to the LAC or the McMahon Line, and conclude in Vijaynagar near the India-Myanmar border.
"The Centre has sanctioned Rs 28,229 crore for the Arunachal Frontier Highway, which will connect 1,683 villages. The national highway being built parallel to the MacMohan Line will be completed by 2027," Chief Engineer of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and head of Project Brahmank, Subhash Chandra Lunia told news agency PTI
He said work is under progress for constructing the 198 km stretch (Tato-Tuting) of the Arunachal Frontier National Highway-913.
After 2014, the budget for BRO's work in various states has been doubled for road development and maintenance as compared to the previous years, the official said.
In February this year, the road transport and highways ministry has sanctioned Rs 3,890 crore for different packages of the strategic Frontier Highway in Arunachal Pradesh that will run close to the India-Tibet-China-Myanmar border. The two-lane highway will be barely 20 km from the international border at some locations.