Aizawl: The Central Government has retracted Rs 66 crore that was initially approved for a vital border road project intended to connect Lawngtlai district in South Mizoram with Myanmar’s Chin state. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar disclosed this decision on Friday in a written response to a question raised by K. Vanlalvena, a Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, the allocated amount of Rs 66.08 crore was sanctioned in February 2021 for the construction of the Sangau-Saisihchhuah road, which was supposed to be undertaken by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
However, Majumdar, who also serves as the Union Minister of State for the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), clarified that the funds were withdrawn due to the Mizoram government’s failure to provide the necessary land without cost by June 2024.
“The project funds were withdrawn because the state government did not meet the requirement of providing land free of charge within the stipulated time frame,” Majumdar explained.
He also revealed that the Sangau-Saisihchhuah road project has been merged into the broader Thingsai to Pangkhua-Sangau road project, which will be financed under the Border Roads Organisation’s General Staff (GS) funding scheme.
At present, the state government has not yet issued a statement regarding the situation.
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