Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Oct 21: The ongoing broadening work for the four-lane Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) is once again producing clouds of dust and turning Itanagar into a dusty town.
An enormous amount of dust is churning out from NH415, blinding the commuters and pliers even in broad daylight.
Agitated residents, especially from the stretch between Chandranagar and Nyokum Lapang in Itanagar are complaining against the PWD (Highway) and implementing agency (TK Consortium) for their “apathetic attitude” towards the common public’s suffering.
Residents claimed that unprecedented amount of dust is piling up in their residents and shops.
“Residents and commuters are choking and getting suffocated by the enormous amount of dust. I don’t understand why the department and the executing agency are not watering down the road since it is mandatory,” said an angry resident near the Civil Secretariat.
Small time businessmen along NH415 are also having a hard time during sunny and dry days, as it is reported that their businesses are comparatively low owing to the dust settling over items.
The worst hit among the shopkeepers are the bakers as dust contaminates edible items, like sweets and cakes.
“The customers are reluctant to eat anything that is kept under the display container because they think it is dust laden; though we keep it clean,” said a staff at one of the bakery shops here.
Medically, it is said that road dust can cause many lung diseases and also trigger existing health issues. It may potentially cause eye diseases, and the most vulnerable are the children and the elderly.
This daily learnt that the Capital Complex district administration has directed the department and TK Consortium on several occasions to sprinkle water on the road at least twice a day.
Occasionally, the implementing agency does engage its water tankers to sprinkle water on the roads. However, it gets dried up after an hour or so and agency do not sprinkle water as directed.
The Arunachal Times could not contact the PWD(Highway) or TK Consortium for a comment on the matter.
