On Tuesday, a seven member inter-ministerial central team visited flood-affected areas in Lower Dibang Valley district. The team was headed by Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, KB Singh. This year, Arunachal has been badly hit by monsoon rains. Across the state the rain has caused havoc. In several areas, properties, including government and private, have been badly damaged. The roads, including highways and several other rural roads, have also been washed away. It is a good move on the part of the government of India to send a central team to visit the state to assess the damages caused by floods during the monsoon.
However, just visiting one district and staying for a few hours in the state will not give them a proper idea of the extent of the damages caused by the monsoon. Even considering the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the team should have visited a few more districts. They should have stayed for at least three days and visited various parts of the state by chopper to have a better idea. Also, the visit has come a bit late. The maximum damages were caused in the month of July, and it would have made sense to conduct the visit during that time. Despite all of this, the people of Arunachal will be hoping that the central government extends support, especially to rebuild the roads and bridges damaged by the monsoon floods.