Arunachal delegation meets Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured a delegation from Arunachal Pradesh that the Centre would consider the demand for formation of Patkai Autonomous District Council covering the three sensitive districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding.

The assurance came during a meeting of a delegation led by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki with Singh at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday, an official communique released here said.

The chief minister was accompanied by all the Ministers and MLAs of the three districts, Rajya Sabha MP Mukut Mithi and Lok Sabha member from the state, Ninong Ering.

While highlighting the need for an autonomous council to further development in <g data-gr-id="20">these sensitive insurgency</g> affected districts, the chief minister gave a historical overview of the demand for <g data-gr-id="18">Patkai</g> Autonomous District Council.

He emphasised that this has been a <g data-gr-id="15">long standing</g> demand of the people of the three districts, where <g data-gr-id="21">insurgency</g> has led to poor socio-economic development.

<g data-gr-id="22">Tuki</g> highlighted that the region, located in the eastern most corner of Arunachal Pradesh, in the vicinity of Myanmar, Assam and <g data-gr-id="25">Nagaland,</g> required special focus to overcome development bottlenecks. The demand for formation of Patkai Autonomous Council was passed by the Assembly in 2004 and 2007 and the Cabinet approved it in the year 2013.