Ziro, September 19 : As a part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations across the country, the Arunachal Pradesh Rural Roads Development Agency (ARRDA) conducted a seminar and site visits to the pilot Interlocking Concrete Pavement Block ( ICPB) in PMGSY roads implemented at Ziro on 18th and 19th September.
It is worth mentioning here that the ICPB is a brain child and the result of the rigorous pursuance of the local MLA cum Hon’ble Minister , Agriculture, Horticulture and Fisheries Er.Tage Taki.
The 22.64km stretch of road has been implemented at Kardo to Shivlinga road, Bamin to Nenchalya, Abulya to Lempia and Reru to Salaya (St.Claret road) upto Old Ziro.
Attending the seminar Hon’ble Minister,RWD , Science and Technology Shri Honchun Ngandam congratulated the RWD,Ziro team for successfully implementing the 22.64 km ICPB project in four PMGSY roads in Ziro.
“These ICPB or paver blocks roads have successfully withstood the heaviest monsoon this year without any major damage, which is a testimony to its efficacy in areas with heavy rain fed areas,” he added.
Advising the engineers to equip themselves with comprehensive details and field experience of implementing PMGSY projects in the rough and wet hilly terrains, he added that “equipped with these information,we should be able to guide and pursue different funding patterns and amendments in the guidelines for a hilly state like ours with the central government”.
Seeking support from the public he called for leaving aside all political affiliations and creating a conducive atmosphere for the engineers and contractors to work on developmental projects at a rapid face.
“We are still lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of infrastructural developments owing to the difficult terrains; creating hindurances will only slow the pace of development,” he added .
While appealing to the contractors to be socially responsible while implementing the projects he added that “As locals it is our social and moral responsibility to ensure the projects are implemented as per DPRs and to its best condition”.
Hon’ble Minister Agriculture, Horticulture and Fisheries Er. Tage Taki while speaking on the occasion said that the PMGSY roads are instrumental in providing vital rural connectivity, leading to a huge improvement in the life and lifestyle of people in the far-flung villages.
Lauding the efforts of the RWD Minister in conceiving such seminars, he said ” These interactions will create a platform for interchange of ideas and technologies and instill a team spirit amongst all the engineers across the state.”
Executive Engineer ,RWD,Ziro Division Er. Gambi Karbak presented a powerpoint on the ICPB technology.
Justifying that the ICPB technology to be the best option for a heavy rain fed place, Er. Karbak informed that good quality paver blocks ensure durability of pavements, when constructed as per specifications. ICBP tolerates higher deflections without structural failure and will not be affected by thermal expansion or contraction. ICBP does not require curing, and so can be opened for traffic immediately after construction, he added.
He further informed that the cost of maintenance of ICPB will be much lesser than a bituminous surface and due to its rough surface, it provides an anti-skid property.
Er.T.Paktung, SE and SQC spoke on the quality monitoring system.
Earlier the team led by both the ministers on Saturday inspected all the ICPB roads implemented in Ziro. They also inspected the Ziro Daporijo BRTF road constructed using the cold mix technology and visited the paver block manufacturing units at Supuyu.
Also as a part of the AKAM celebrations trees were planted in the RWD office complex at Monipolyong. Exhibition stalls were also set up by companies from Guwahati, Lakhimpur and Naharlagun dealing in paver block s, road signages and bituminous technology . A book titled Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Arunachal Chaper was also released by the Hon’ble Minister RWD.
The two day event was organised by RWD Ziro Division .
Among others Secretary cum CEO, RWD N T Glow,IRS, Er Doli Nyodu,CE,PMGSY,ARRDA, Er T Paktung, SE cum State Quality Coordinator, Er. Toko Ottu, SE and engineers from across the state , panchayat leaders and contractors implementing the projects participated in the program.
