Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has urged the Army to reach out to rural people, particularly those in border areas, through its social welfare activities in line with the Army’s in-practice Operation Sadbhavana.
“Along with its plans to expand army bases and manpower in Arunachal Pradesh, the Army should also expand its people friendly activities and earn respect and confidence of the people. This will also ease the burden on the government,” Tuki pointed when Lt Gen Shakti Gurung, GOC, 4 Corp from Tezpur, called on him at his office yesterday, official sources said today.
Tuki emphasized the Army’s role to offer training courses to unemployed youths to facilitate gainful employment besides making them fit to successfully get recruited into Army as and when any recruitment is conducted.
Lt Gen Gurung assured the chief minister that the 3 Corp which is also under him, which covers Kameng Sector in the state, is keen to lend its helping hand to the people in far-flung areas.
He said Operation Sadbhavana, specifically meant for civilian welfare activities, is already in-practice in Assam.
The same would be extended to Arunachal Pradesh, probably under a different nomenclature that would equip and facilitate the Army to extensively undertake activities for welfare of the people, the Lt Gen said.
The chief minister also expressed concern over the poor maintenance and slow progress of roads by the BRO and urged the GOC to impress upon the Organization to expedite the progress from the Army side.
He suggested that if the BRO was finding it difficult to continue the work, the same could be handed over to reputed public sector undertakings.
The GOC admitted the slow progress of work and assured the chief minister that the Army was in constant touch with the BRO through proper channels to insist speedy and quality progress of all the strategic roads.
He, however, said that due to delay in environment and wildlife clearances several road projects were unduly delayed.
In response, the Chief Minister assured clearance from respective ministries but said that work should not be stalled only for the want of these.Tuki also requested for early raising of the 2nd battalion of Arunachal Scouts, which the GOC said was under process. (PTI)