Pul calls for fostering ties between Arunachal and Bhutan

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul on Friday advocated the need to develop close friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and his State.

During a meeting with envoy to Bhutan Jaideep Sarkar here at his office, Mr. Pul said Arunachal and Bhutan share not just the boundary but cultural and religious history, particularly the communities in Tawang and West Kameng, a CMO release said.

The Chief Minister stressed on the need to harness the historical, cultural and trade links between the two regions by establishing border trade centres.

Mr. Pul called for building direct road connectivity from Tawang to Bhutan which, he said, would also provide the shortest connectivity to Guwahati via the Darrang land custom station in Nalbari district of Assam.

Boost exports

He expressed hope that the development of this route would enable agriculture and horticulture export from Lumla sub-division along with the newly-created Bongkhar circle headquarters.

The CM pointed out that the opening of the road from Tawang to Darrang via Tashigaon in Bhutan would by-pass the Sela pass -- that often gets blocked due to heavy snow during winter and landslides in summer, cutting the travel time to Guwahati by almost six hours.

Study tour

Appreciating the success story of hydropower and tourism development in Bhutan, Mr. Pul stressed on initiative for study tour between the two regions to learn the process of planning and execution adopted in the country.

The envoy said the embassy in Bhutan was ready to host delegates from Arunachal coming for study tour, the release added.