Battling govt apathy, Arunachal residents rebuild road themselves

Itanagar: Fed up with government apathy and neglect for decades, thousands of residents in Khonsa area of Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh took upon themselves to reconstruct a strategic road on Monday morning. The 54-km-long Khonsa-Longding road has been lying in a pathetic condition for decades now, allege residents.

On Monday morning, residents from about 100 villages braved heavy downpour to render social service and work to provide the much-needed relief to locals of the area. The villagers, who gathered under the banner of Dadam Area Youth Association (DAYA), were supported by the business community of Khonsa town in undertaking the massive reconstruction work.

Locals lament that road support in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh has remained one of the worst in the state due to sheer negligence of the ruling governments, besides people’s representatives. The matter had been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned several times in the past but all their pleas and petitions have fallen on deaf ears so far.