Arunachal Highway Decay Sparks Safety and Security Concerns

Itanagar: Deep craters and broken asphalt now define major stretches of National Highway 515 and National Highway 13. These roads are vital arteries for travel and trade. Instead, they have become dangerous hazards for thousands of commuters. Travel times are climbing. Repair costs for damaged vehicles are mounting.

The decay is worst between Jonai and Pasighat on NH-515. The road connecting Raneghat to Mebo on NH-13 is also failing. Bridges are crumbling under the lack of maintenance. Locals say the neglect dates back to 2016. That year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways handed maintenance duties from the Border Roads Organisation to the state Public Works Department.

The Pasighat-Bomjir NH-52 Bachao Committee saw this coming. They warned back in 2016 that the state lacked the expertise to handle these strategic routes. One decade later, those warnings have come to pass. Despite recent social media outrage and limited patchwork, the roads remain broken. Fresh potholes appeared almost immediately after recent filler work. Commuters say they are tired of temporary fixes.

These highways carry more than just civilian traffic. They serve as essential supply lines for security forces moving toward the Line of Actual Control. Residents are demanding answers from the state Public Works Department and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. They want a long-term fix, not a quick patch. As one resident noted, "Residents are now demanding regular maintenance and long-term restoration of the highways instead of short-term patch repairs."