Indian Army goes deep into Arunachal Pradesh 

East Kameng ( Arunachal Pradesh), August 23: The government of India seems to have understood the importance of development in remote areas along the country's international border. 

General officer Commanding (GoC) of the Indian Army's 5th Mountain Division, also called Ball of Fire division, Maj. Gen. Manvender Singh has said that the Indian Army would go deep into the remote areas of the Arunachal Pradesh, particularly in the remote East Kameng district keeping in view the backwardness and the geo-political importance of the district. 

The East Kameng district, which is one of the most underdeveloped district of West Arunachal Pradesh, is important keeping in view its geographic locations—to its north lies the sensitive Mac-Mohan line of Indo-China border and in the south lies the Assam. The district had been very sensitive since the Chinese aggression of 1962. 

The Maj. Gen. said this while inaugurating the two-day medical and assistive devices camp for the persons with disabilities organized under the Indian Army's Mission Ability beyond Disability. As part of the programme the GoC distributed medicines and various hearing and visual aids to about 2300 villagers. 

Talking to newsmen after the event, the GoC said, "Security is a part of border management and remote and backward areas are always prone to security threats to the whole country." "Effective border management also helps ensuring security to the whole nation," he added. 

"We are trying to take up maximum developmental activities as part of our initiative—to reach the unreached," he said while adding that improvement of road connectivity is the priority for the army in the state. 

He said that the Trans Arunachal Highway, which has been accorded the status of national project, would be completed within next three years from now. "Roads are the major bottleneck for the people here and lack of roads have hit the district in terms of developmental activities," said the GoC while adding that completion of the highway would connect all the valleys in the district through roads. 

"The army is also trying to develop motorable roads along the International border in the district and other bordering areas in the state for the strategic location of the state," said the Major General. 

The district, which covers an area of 4253 sq/kms has 13 circle head quarters and seven community developmental blocks and only three of them are connected by roads. There is no motorable roads to the blocks from the district head quarter –Seppa. The district, which has an estimated population of 58,000 has only one 65 beded hospital. The government of Arunachal Pradesh has already written to the Planning Commission to declare the district as 'the most backward district of the country'. 

The proposed Trans-Arunachal Highway, part of the prime minister's package for Arunachal Pradesh, has been accorded National Highway status by the Centre under the National Highway Act, 1956. 

Estimated to cost Rs 10,000 crore, the highway to be known as NH 229, would run through the foothills connecting 13 district headquarters from Tawang at one end and Khonsa on the other end in Arunachal before joining NH 37 and NH 52 on either side of the Brahmaputra in Assam.