Itanagar, Apr 11: Health and Family Welfare Minister Biyuram Wahge, who also serves as the Guardian Minister of the Tirap-Changlang-Longding (TCL) region, convened a comprehensive review meeting on Thursday at Khonsa with the deputy commissioner of Tirap, administrative officers, and heads of departments to assess the district's developmental progress and challenges.
The minister was accompanied by rural development secretary Dr Sonal Swarup and water resources department (Eastern zone) chief engineer Tokbom Lego.
Tirap deputy commissioner Techu Aran in his address raised key concerns including a shortage of administrative officers, the need for protection of catchment areas to address water scarcity, and infrastructure improvements like road widening and parking facilities.
Extra assistant commissioner Yowa Anya presented a detailed PowerPoint briefing on ongoing projects and departmental issues across Tirap.
The meeting saw active participation from local MLAs who voiced the concerns of their constituencies.
Khonsa East MLA Wanglam Sawin in his address, highlighted infrastructural deficiencies in government quarters, the need for bypass roads, and the construction of a boundary wall for the General Hospital at Khonsa.
Khonsa West lawmaker Chakat Aboh in her deliberations, stressed road connectivity issues in remote villages, shortage of medical officers and nurses in PHC Lazu and TA-PHC Dadam, and lack of subject teachers and headmasters in government schools in Lazu and Dadam.
She urged the minister to prioritise these issues, citing the strategic location of the constituency along the Myanmar border.
Addressing the meeting, Borduria-Bogapani MLA Wanglin Lowangdong reiterated the need for urgent road widening in Khonsa township and called for the creation of separate IG and DIG positions exclusively for the TCL region.
He also suggested appointing a separate commissioner to focus on the region’s unique needs. Additionally, he proposed upgrading the PHCs at Borduria and Lazu to CHCs and advocated for the establishment of a central or state-level medical or IT college in the district.
Dr Swarup emphasised the need to tackle forest encroachment, bridge infrastructure gaps, and ensure saturation of centrally sponsored schemes in the region.
Responding to the issues raised, Wahge assured that the shortage of administrative officers, subject teachers, and medical personnel would be taken up on priority. He committed to escalating the key concerns to the chief minister.
The minister also asked the district administration to compile detailed data on villages lacking road and electricity connectivity, underscoring the importance of road access for development.
“Road is the backbone of development, and we must strive to connect all our villages,” Wahge added.
