Tawang/Guwahati: The Centre has asked Arunachal Pradesh governor General (retd) JJ Singh to coordinate all the major border development initiatives to build high-tech infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border. The initiatives include building an airport at Tawang, after one is in place in state capital Itanagar, and constructing a 1,840-km state-of-the-art trans-Arunachal highway touching the borders with China, Bhutan and Myanmar besides spreading a rail network in the state on the lines of one the Chinese have built in Tibet. "You will see a historical development in the state in the next five years...I will play the role of a father figure and ensure speedy completion of projects,' General Singh told TOI at Guwahati airport. General Singh was appointed governor of the state at a time when China again staked claim to Tawang. He assumed the new assignment in January this year, a few months after he retired from the Army which he served for 43 years. The appointment of General Singh was considered a strategic decision in view of the fact that he knows the subject well. He had written a thesis on the "Sino-Indian Border dispute' and commanded the 9 Maratha Light Infantry in Arunachal Pradesh during his Army tenure. "Connectivity in the entire state is the major problem which we are looking at on priority,' Singh added. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants Arunachal Pradesh to be one of the most modern states in the country in the next five years. He said that after Itanagar, the government would take up work on a greenfield airport at Tawang on the Sino-Indian border. "The airport in the state capital will be completed in the next three years,' he added. Speaking on the possibility of a Sino-Indian conflict in the near future, General Singh said the chances were remote. He, however, said that one should not think of an early resolution of border dispute between the two countries. "The border issue between India and China will not be resolved very soon. It will take time. The two countries should have a vision and amicably resolve the issue in their interest,' he added. Under the PM's special initiative a 1,840-km two-lane trans-Arunachal highway from Tawang in the West to Tirap in the East will be constructed at a cost of Rs 5,500 crore. This will be besides the 3,000-km high-tech road to be built across the state under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme. Road widening work has already started on all the major arterial routes. India is simultaneously initiating steps to further improve its relations with Bhutan and Myanmar, the two other countries on the eastern frontiers. A multi-purpose border trade centre at Nampong is already being developed. The governor said that unlike other regions, the situation in Arunachal is conducive to development. "The best thing is we have Hindi as a binding factor,' Singh said. To further bring Arunachal closer to mainland India, the government has decided to relax the provisions of the Protected Area Permit, Restricted Area Permit and the Inner Line Permit required for Indian and foreign nationals to travel to the state. Employment generation is also on top of the agenda for which 53 hydro-power projects are in pipeline with a capacity to generate 24,000 MW of electricity. Besides the foray into hydel power, the state will exploit the horticulture and take steps to promote tourism, Singh said. pradeep.thakur@timesgroup.com