Bad roads, power cuts hamper tourism in Arunachal village
ZIRO: A huge gate with inscription Ayapa Ato (welcome) greets visitors to the picturesque Hong Village, nestled in the rainforests of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh.
The hill-girdled hamlet, spanning 58 sq km, with a total population of 9,800, as per 2011 census, is known for its unique fish farming and sustainable agricultural techniques.
Of late, however, Hong village is reeling under various nagging problems, which are in many ways hampering its tourism prospects and are in need of urgent government attention.
“One of the major problems in this village is the dilapidated condition of the roads. Many tourists are not willing to visit the place that boasts of the first Kasturba Gandhi Ashram in the whole of North East,” Robin Hibu, a resident of the village and a Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police, said.
Without roads nothing can move ahead here, Hibu, who is also the first IPS officer from the state, said.
Zila parishad member of Hong village Tilling Sambyo said that the unique fish-cumpaddy culture practiced by the Apatani community has drawn many tourists to this hamlet from faraway places. “Not many visitors come to Hong village these days. We are trying our best to woo back the tourists but pathetic road condition is a major hindrance,” lamented Sambyo. Erratic power supply is another problem the villagers face here, Sambyo said.
“The village, inhabited by the hard-working Apatani community, considers tourists as their god. Four homestay facilities were established in the village to accommodate visitors. There used to be a time when these homestays would be full round the year,” he said.
Sambyo further explained that the tourists, who come to the village, also visit the Talley Valley wildlife sanctuary, home to bear, tiger, leopard and hornbill.
“On an average, around 5000 foreign tourists visit the village every year,” Sambyo added.
The village is inhabited by 11 clans of the Apatani community and they co-exist peacefully, head gaon burha (village headman) Tilling Duri said. “Lack of proper road and other basic facilities, including water supply, are some of the reasons why people no longer wish to stay here,” he rued.
With the Ziro cultural landscape finding a mention in the tentative list of UNESCO’S World Heritage sites in 2014, the state government should take care to preserve the traditional and cultural heritage of the village, Duri said.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also holds the Finance, Planning and PWD portfolios, during a programme on November 16, had assured to provide additional funds for repair and maintenance of the roads. HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily has said that no decision has been taken on whether Sonia Gandhi would continue to occupy the position of UPA chairperson or make way for new party president Rahul Gandhi.
Moily acknowledged there are calls for her continuation in the position, but said Rahul Gandhi, who assumed charge as the Congress president earlier this month, is also capable of holding the post.
“Rahul Gandhi is also capable,” the former Union minister said on Monday.
The decision on the UPA’S chairmanship has not yet been taken and “it is left to them (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi),” he said.
Ever since Sonia Gandhi stepped down as the Congress president, there was speculation whether Rahul Gandhi would assume charge of the UPA chairperson or she would continue in the position.
Asked if it would “help” if Sonia Gandhi continued to be the UPA chairperson, Moily declined to comment and said, “Ultimately, it’s between them (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi); they will have to take a call.” He said Sonia Gandhi has “managed the party very well” during her 19-year tenure as the Congress president, adding that “she has to continue to be active in providing advice and, while running the party by Rahulji, she has to be behind him always.”
She should continue to be a part of the decision- making process and her “wise counsel” should always prevail on the Congress, the former chief minister of Karnataka said.
On TMC leader Derek O’brien’s statement that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has the “finest credentials” to take on the BJP in 2019, Moily said it’s not an “objective” assessment.
He argued that ever since Sonia Gandhi became the party president and also the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), she has provided “best leadership” for the party and also the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry has released Rs 167 crore to nine states with international border for the development of infrastructure in forward areas, an official said today.
The states which will benefit include Rajasthan and Punjab, both having international border with Pakistan, and West Bengal and Assam, which share boundary with Bangladesh.
An amount of Rs 167 crore was released recently by the Home Ministry to Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Sikkim, Tripura, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), the official said.
The fully centrally funded BADP programme covers all villages which are located within 0-10 km of the International Border in 17 states.
However, priority is given to those villages which are identified by border guarding forces for speedy development of infrastructure.
The schemes permissible under the BADP include activities relating to the cleanliness mission, skill development programmes, promotion of sports activities, promotion of rural tourism, border tourism and protection of heritage sites.
Construction of helipads in remote and inaccessible hilly areas which do not have road connectivity, skill development training to farmers for the use of modern and scientific technique in farming, organic farming are other areas which come under the BADP.
While Rajasthan and Punjab share border with Pakistan, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya share boundary with Bangladesh.
Bihar shares border with Nepal, Sikkim shares border with Nepal and Bhutan and Himachal Pradesh share border with China.
Earlier, the Home Ministry had released Rs 174 crore to six states having international border under the same programme.