The horrific attack on two employees of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Nacho in Upper Subansiri district is a glaring example of how difficult it is to execute major infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh. Though the motive of attack is still unclear, as per local sources, land compensation issue is believed to be the cause. The attacker has been arrested by the police and, hopefully, it will throw more light into the incident. However the incident is a big setback in the construction of the Taliha to Nacho road. There is fear among the BRO workers, and they have reportedly suspended work and will resume only if the situation improves.
The BRO has been constructing roads in the state since the time Arunachal Pradesh became a part of India after independence. Even today, the organisation is executing major road projects in various parts of the state. The Nacho incident is expected to have serious repercussion on these projects. In future, the BRO may become cautious about taking up projects in the state. This will deprive the people of Arunachal of good roads. The Nacho incident also exposes the danger posed by the compensation issue. A majority of the highway projects in the state have failed due to compensation issues. The failure of the district administration to resolve this contentious issue on time is pushing back the road projects. Further, there should be proper investigation into the Nacho incident, so that such incident is not repeated in the future. The people of the state should not take the law into their own hands. Everyone should play their part in creating an atmosphere congenial to bringing about progress of the state in the true sense.