[Bengia Ajum]
Recently, I travelled through districts like Lower Dibang Valley, Namsai, Lohit and Changlang in the eastern region of Arunachal Pradesh. What fascinated me was the impact of improved road communication in these districts. US president late John F Kennedy once famously said, “American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good.” This is truly coming true for the large part of eastern Arunachal. The improved road communication has totally changed the face of the region and is accelerating the pace of development.
Of all, the success of Namsai and Dambuk towns is worth sharing with the rest of the state. I visited Namsai for the first time in 2010 in the month of December to attend the Poi Pee Mau festival, which is the new year festival of the Khamti tribe. At that time, Namsai was a small town; I would say it was more like a big village – barely a few shops and hardly any people on the streets. Today, Namsai is completely different and is a much changed place. In fact, it is the fastest-growing town in the entire state. High-rise buildings are starting to replace the old Assam Type buildings. The presence of universities and colleges has added to its attraction. Tourists from across the country flock to Namsai to see the famous Golden Pagoda, located in Tengapani. All this has happened because of the massive improvement in road connectivity. Once upon a time, it used to take around five hours to reach Tezu from Namsai. Today it barely takes around 50 minutes. The credit for transforming Namsai goes to Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, and to the people of the district.
The DCM is often accused of diverting huge funds to his home district. But he is ensuring that the funds are being properly used, and the results can be seen on the ground. The people of Namsai have also been very supportive of the highway projects, thereby paving the way for the transformation of the district.
Another place that has witnessed a complete transformation in recent years is Dambuk town, located in Lower Dibang Valley district. Everyone knows that once Dambuk was referred to as the Kalapani of the state. Surrounded by the Sisir and the Dibang rivers, Dambuk used to remain cut off from the rest of the state during the monsoon season. The only mode of communication used to be elephant ride. Government officials used to dread when they were transferred to Dambuk. The completion of the Sisir and the Dibang bridges, along with the Roing-Pasighat highway, via Dambuk, has completely transformed the face of the area. Local MLA Gum Tayeng and all the people of Dambuk deserve to be appreciated for being partners in transforming the area.
Even as the people of eastern Arunachal enjoy the fruits of improved road communication, poor road communication continues to haunt the people of central and parts of western Arunachal. Often, land compensation issue is cited as the biggest hurdle. The contractors, elected leaders and government officials use it as an excuse to delay the projects. But it seems that all such hurdles easily get resolved in eastern Arunachal. Perhaps there is a lesson for every one of us. With Pasighat and Tezu airports getting operationalized and rail connectivity on the offing in the region, eastern Arunachal is expected to drive the economic growth of the state in the future. The icing on the cake will be if the state government can convince the government of India to start border trade with Southeast Asia through the famous Pangsau Pass in Changlang district.
