| Staff REPORTER |
Itanagar, Mar 11: Concerns over the failure of several nanotechnology-based rural roads constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Arunachal Pradesh were raised in the Assembly on Wednesday, with members cutting across party lines urging the government to provide immediate gap funding to restore the damaged and incomplete projects.
Responding to a short-duration discussion initiated by member Laisam Simai, Rural Works Department (RWD) Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona informed the House that 37 out of 42 PMGSY roads constructed across Arunachal Pradesh using nanotechnology on a pilot basis have failed due to the state’s challenging terrain and climatic conditions.
“Out of the 42 projects, only five roads were found to be successful,” Sona said. He explained that the technology faced major challenges in the state due to fragile hilly terrain, steep slopes, unstable geological formations, heavy monsoon rainfall, frequent landslides and erosion-prone conditions. As a result, many roads deteriorated rapidly, suffered extensive damage or could not be completed.
The minister also told the House that the state government has repeatedly taken up the matter with the Centre through various forums seeking gap funding to restore the damaged/incomplete PMGSY roads, but no positive response has been received so far.
Sona informed that he has requested Chief Minister Pema Khandu to raise the issue with the Centre to find a concrete solution, adding that the Chief Minister is expected to take up the matter with the concerned union minister after the ensuing plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC).
Earlier initiating the discussion, Simai said PMGSY has been one of the most important rural connectivity programmes in the state, helping connect remote villages with markets, schools, health centres and district headquarters.
However, he noted that the use of nanotechnology in road construction under PMGSY has not performed well under the local conditions and urged the government to arrange immediate gap funding to restore and complete the affected projects.
The legislator also observed that earlier apprehensions had been raised regarding the feasibility of using nanotechnology for road construction in the state due to the long rainy season, damp conditions, difficult topography and short working season. Conventional construction methods, he said, are often better suited to such local conditions.
Another concern highlighted by the MLA was that the introduction of the new technology reduced the use of locally available materials such as Random Boulder Masonry (RBM), Water Bound Macadam-II (WBM-II) and Water Bound Macadam-III (WBM-III), which are widely available in districts like Longding district.
This, he said, limited local economic participation and reduced employment opportunities for local youth in road construction works.
“The problem before us today is not merely technical; it is developmental and humanitarian,” Simai said, adding that when PMGSY roads fail, entire habitations suffer as villagers struggle to access hospitals, schools, markets and other essential services.
He warned that without adequate gap funding, the project may remain incomplete, causing continued hardship to local residents and affecting regional connectivity.
Simai urged the government to undertake an immediate review of all failed or severely affected PMGSY roads built using nanotechnology and to adopt hill-specific and climate-suitable engineering practices along with stronger monitoring and adequate maintenance provisions for future projects.
He, along with senior members Honchun Ngandam, Wanglin Lowangdong and Wanglam Sawin, called for the provision of dedicated gap funding for restoration and completion of such projects to ensure that public funds already spent are not wasted.