Heavy rainfall caused large-scale damages to the newly constructed four-lane NH 415 in between Chandranagar and Papu Nallah. On Monday, as rain lashed Itanagar, a portion of a retaining wall collapsed opposite D Sector, near the IG Park forest gate. It caused destruction in the area. Also, cracks developed in many stretches of the road. The drain near Akashdeep in Itanagar was choked due to heavy rain, and the road and the areas nearby were flooded.
While some of the damages, especially the one near Akashdeep, are manmade, the collapse of the retaining wall near D Sector raises serious a question mark over the technical capabilities of the engineers involved in its construction. The retaining wall was hardly three months old. How could it have collapsed so easily? The state government needs to constitute a committee to look into the matter. Proper investigation has to be done to find out the cause behind the collapse. If there is any negligence or compromise with work quality, strict action should be taken. This habit of only blaming nature’s fury has to end.
The engineers are well aware of the prevailing scenario, including the climatic condition of the state. They should have taken enough precautions. It is a matter of worry that a highway whose construction was completed just two months ago has started to crumble with the arrival of the monsoon. This is just the start of the monsoon in the state. Going by the trend, one wonders whether NH 415 will withstand the monsoon rains of June, July and August, when the intensity of the rains is expected to intensify in the state.