Heavy rainfall on Sunday night caused significant damage to the Itanagar-Hollongi stretch of the NH 415 four-lane highway. A portion of the road was washed away at one location, while a mudslide blocked the highway a few kilometres before the Donyi Polo International Airport. The damage was exacerbated by extensive earth-cutting along NH 415, which led to a huge volume of debris from an earth-cutting site adjacent to the highway sliding onto the road.
The highway remained blocked for several hours, leaving many vehicles stranded. Commuters were forced to wait for hours before being rescued by the SDRF team. Citizens have expressed outrage over the recurring problem, taking to social media to question the inaction of the district administration.
They point to the widespread and indiscriminate earth-cutting from Chimpu, near the Sunday Market, to Hollongi, as the root cause of the damage. Many have criticized the officials of the district administration, the Forest Department, and the PWD (Highway) for their failure to address the issue. This is not an isolated incident, as roads in the Itanagar Capital Region, particularly highways, suffer extensive damage every monsoon due to illegal earth-cutting.
The public’s frustration is growing, with many calling for action against those responsible for the illegal earth-cutting. The administration’s inaction has been deemed unacceptable, and citizens are demanding that something be done to prevent such incidents in the future.
