Itanagar, Jan 27 (PTI): Tension flared up over road construction on a disputed stretch of Assam-Arunachal border at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district, after locals objected to a rural road being built by a contractor of the Arunachal state government, leading to violence, officials here said on Thursday.
The incident took place at Hime Basti area under Assam's Gogamukh police station on Wednesday evening, a senior official said.
"Local villagers from Assam obstructed the construction of the road by Arunachal government. When they went to the site to protest, the contractor involved with the construction fired one round in the air," he added.
The Arunachal Pradesh government is constructing a PMGSY road of 70 km length from Likabali to Durpai in the district using the services of a local contractor.
Angry people from Assam forcibly stopped the work, damaged a few vehicles and set ablaze the temporary camp built for the road construction gang, the official said.
"On being informed, a team from Assam Police rushed to the spot. We are now dominating the area so that no untoward incident takes place," a police official said.
Arunachal's Lower Siang District Superintendent of Police (SP) Kushal Pal Singh said "the issue (dispute) is an old one and Wednesday's evening incident was between a few locals with vested interests," adding, security measures have been intensified in the area and the The situation is normal.
He said no government forces or organizations were involved in the incident.
The fracas over the border road takes place just two days after Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday decided to conduct a ground level survey on status of the inter-state boundary to resolve the vexed border row at a chief ministerial level meeting.
On January 24, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu to discuss the border issue.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km border in Udalguri, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Charaideo districts. There are 1,200 points of disputes along the inter-state border between the two states.
Arunachal Pradesh was a centrally-administered region initially after Independence and became a Union Territory later, before attaining full statehood in 1987. 

Galo bodies condemn incident, urge state government to intervene

ITANAGAR: The Galo Peoples' Federation (GPF) and Galo Students Union (GSU) have condemned the act of vandalism and obstruction of the ongoing PMGSY road construction at Hime Village under Kangku Circle of Lower Siang District. Underlining the importance of the road project for the area, both bodies have
urged the state government for necessary intervention to ensure hassle free construction of the road and timely completion of work. 
"State government should immediately talk with its Assam counterpart, as the said project has nothing to do with the Assam. And repeated disturbances by the people of Assam is badly affecting its timely completion, the GPF said.
In a separate memorandum submitted to Minister Home,  the Galo Students Union requested the state government to deploy security forces in Kangku Circle more particularly at the road construction stretches to secure the early completion of the road project.
"The people of Kangku Circle have been deprived of proper road communication since Independence. The road if completed on time will bring visible changes in the lives of the people living in the 24 notified villages of the circle with a population of over 4000," it said.
The entire Galo Community and the Galo Students’ Union (GSU) are very serious about the early and successful completion of this important road project. Working season is very limited in our state with the months between November to March being the peak working season. Unnecessary obstruction at this stage by Assam will be detrimental to the road project. We demand that the matter be strongly taken up with the Government of Assam and Government of India with the former being directed to maintain the status quo, the GSU said.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List