ITANAGAR, 4 Nov: The Arunachal Pradesh Youth Congress (APYC) has threatened to launch a democratic movement to highlight the deplorable condition of NH 415 from Itanagar to Banderdewa.
The youth brigade of the Congress party demanded that NH 415, “specifically Package A,” be repaired immediately and the work under Package B be “expedited within a week.”
The APYC said that the people of the state, particularly the Itanagar Capital Region, have been facing a lot of difficulties since the last five to six years due to the deplorable condition of the highway.
“The worst affected are the daily commuters, like office-goers, school kids, and daily wage earners. Even patients have to bear the brunt of the bad roads,” APYC president Tarh Johny said in a release.
“The deplorable condition of the road has left a bad impression on visiting tourists, which is not good for the growth of the tourism sector,” he said.
The party also questioned the quality of work.
“Recently, many portions of NH 415 between Chandranagar and Papu Nallah got washed away or peeled off due to rainfall. Many potholes have occurred on the road, giving bumpy rides to commuters,” he said.
The APYC leader said that this stretch of the road (Package A), which is about 10 kms, was inaugurated with much fanfare in March 2021 by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, “but the euphoria is short-lived.”
“Due to inferior quality, it is now in a dilapidated condition and crying for early facelift,” the APYC leader said.
He further said that frequent breakdown of vehicles adds to the woes of commuters.
“They (motorists) have to pay a hefty amount for repairing their vehicles from time to time. In fact, owning a vehicle has become a big financial burden for the common men due to frequent breakdowns, apart from the skyrocketing fuel prices in this despotic BJP regime,” Johny said.
The APYC leader questioned whether the ongoing works on NH 415 are being done as per the NHIDCL guidelines.
“Why aren’t damaged portions repaired till date? Is it the negligence of the state government or the executing agency?” the APYC leader asked the government.
He said that work is still going on at a snail’s pace, despite the end of the monsoon.
Johny also asked the government why no action has been initiated against the highways department over the deteriorating condition of the road.
