[ Samshum Changmi ]
MIAO, 17 Jun: The Miao-Vijaynagar (MV) road in Changlang district has once again been rendered impassable due to massive landslides triggered by incessant rainfall in the last week of May.
The already fragile road infrastructure has suffered extensive damage at multiple locations, leaving the remote Vijaynagar administrative circle completely cut off from the rest of the state.
The MV road, currently maintained by the Public Works Department (Highway Division), Jairampur, is the only surface lifeline connecting Vijaynagar to the rest of Arunachal Pradesh. Its closure has disrupted the supply of essential goods, medical access, and emergency services to this far-flung border region.
Significant damage has been reported at several mile points, specifically at the 71st, 74th, 78th, 80th, and 82nd miles from Miao. Entire road stretches have collapsed in these areas, with culverts washed away, blacktop eroded, and large portions of loose subsoil exposed.
Speaking to this reporter, Nyawazosa Yobin, president of the Yobin Welfare Society, expressed deep disappointment over what he described as the department’s inaction and delayed response.
“Following our appeal, the Miao ADC took some initiative, but the road was cleared only up to Yacheley village, around the 70-mile mark,” he said. “The worst-affected stretch lies between Yacheley and Gandhigram, where several major landslide zones remain untouched.”
“For more than two weeks, people have been forced to walk through dangerous terrain. With the mobile network down, it’s nearly impossible to communicate with those in Vijaynagar or assess the ground situation. It’s making life even harder for everyone,” he added.
When contacted, Michi Laling, junior engineer of PWD (Miao subdivision), acknowledged the severity of the damage and confirmed that efforts are underway to restore access.
“We sent a JCB earlier, but it couldn’t move beyond the 72-Mile point due to the severity of the landslide,” he said. “We are now dispatching a PC-210 excavator with a trailer to resume clearance operations.”
Meanwhile, locals have long criticized the poor construction quality, inadequate drainage systems, and absence of slope protection measures.
Manjil Thakuri, a resident of Two-Hut in Vijaynagar, said the road has remained blocked for over two weeks, worsening the crisis in the area.
“This monsoon has destroyed many paddy fields and damaged key infrastructure in Vijaynagar. But no relief materials have reached us due to the road blockade and lack of communication,” he said.
“Every year, the rains bring disaster. The MV road collapses as if it was never meant to last,” said aresident of Gandhigram.
When asked about the expected timeline for clearance, Michi said, “If the machines can move by Tuesday, they will start clearing slides along the way. It may take a week or more.”
The MV road, which passes through the Namdapha National Park, was originally constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana by the Rural Works Department, and was later handed over to the PWD Highway Division as part of the proposed Frontier Highway Project.
Most recently, in May 2025, the department also floated a tender for the repair and maintenance of the Namchik-Miao-Vijaynagar Road (NH 913). The contract was awarded to M/s Aakashya Infra Project Private Limited, a Kolkata-based firm. However, work on the ground has yet to commence.
The repeated collapse of this critical road has once again raised serious concerns about disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience in border areas. Vijaynagar, located in one of the easternmost corners of Arunachal Pradesh near the Indo-Myanmar border, depends entirely on this route for civilian mobility, security access, and government outreach, yet remains one of the most neglected border administrative circles in the state.
