‘Works for two-lane road upto Avangkhu border to start soon’

April 23, 2023 27 Views No Comment

• First Union Minister to visit India’s first border village in Phek
• Sanctions Rs 14.99 lakh to Phek district for screening films for children

Kohima, April 23 (MExN): The two lane road upto Avangkhu border has already been sanctioned and work will start soon, announced Dr L Murugan, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Information & Broadcasting, Fisheries, Veterinary & Dairying L Murugan on April 22.

This will pave the way for the development of the border region, Murugan said, visiting Avangkhu village and making history as the first Union Minister to visit India’s first village on the Indo-Myanmar border in Phek district.

Such initiative highlights India’s seriousness towards the Act East Policy, he added.

Dr Murugan flew into Avangkhu village from Phek HQs in a chopper in the morning where he was given traditional welcome by the villagers, leaders and womenfolk.

Speaking at the public interaction programme held at the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Avangkhu, he recalled about the Union Government’s commitment towards developing the North-East including the border areas of the region.

He expressed the hope that the ITC Avangkhu will also witness increased business activities due to increase in trade volume and better connectivity, while reiterating the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that the last village is India’s first village, informed a release from the Press Information Bureau, Kohima.

As per the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd’s website, contracts for the widening to two-lane with Hard shoulder of Akegwo-Avangkhu section of National Highway-202K covering a 106.996 kilometre have been awarded.

It will be constructed under three packages and while the ‘Date of Award’ for Package-I is given as March 23, the contract for II and III were given on February 8.

The ‘Awarded Cost’ for the three packages collectively is Rs 681.272 crore as per the status given on the NHIDCL website as of March 31.

Meanwhile, during the interaction programme at ITC Avangkhu, Dr Murugan noted that the National Livestock Mission (NLM) has been supporting entrepreneurs of Nagaland and strengthening farm infrastructure and technology.

He informed that in the last nine years, around Rs 1,770 lakh have been provided to the State Government as assistance under the NLM in the piggery sector, the PIB release said.

On Saturday, Dr Murugan also visited Chesezu in Phek, claimed as a village where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose camped in the village during World War II.

He also announced that a grant of Rs 14.99 lakh has been allocated to Phek district for exhibition of children’s films in the district.

He later interacted with offcials of DIPR, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and units of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting based in Kohima. Dr Murugan reached Nagaland on April 21 on a three-day visit to Nagaland.