Pala demands fund for 50-km border road

NEW DELHI: Shillong MP Vincent H Pala said in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the state needed “only 50km of border roads” for the convenience of villagers and sought special fund from the Centre.
Participating in the debate after question hour, Pala said Meghalaya has 480 km of international border and after the fencing people in the border areas “have been sandwiched” and they can neither go to Bangladesh nor come to Meghalaya.
In his reply, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said 2,000-km road is being considered along the international border.
“I need only 50 km. These villages in the border areas have been sandwiched because of the border fencing and they do not have road connectivity even in summer,” Pala replied and urged the minister to consider this as a special case.
“Though it is a state road, I would request him to give special fund for the international border to connect these villages with the rest of India,” the MP said.
He added that there were some projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, a centrally-sponsored road and highways project.