Itanagar: Demonstrating its unwavering commitment to nation-building and humanitarian assistance, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) restored the crucial Kimin-Potin road within an impressive 36 hours after torrential monsoon rains, flash floods and landslides caused widespread devastation in Arunachal Pradesh’s Keyi Panyor and Papum Pare districts, officials said on Sunday.
Defence spokesman Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said incessant rainfall triggered multiple landslides and major formation breaches along the 45-km road stretch, washing away sections of the roadway and burying several portions under mud, boulders and uprooted trees.
The disruption completely halted vehicular movement and snapped connectivity to key locations, including Potin, Yazali, Yachuli, Joram and Ziro, he said.
According to the defence spokesman, the road closure severely affected the movement of essential commodities, emergency response teams and access to critical healthcare facilities, including the Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Naharlagun.
With National Highway-13 also rendered inaccessible due to extensive flood damage, restoration of the Kimin-Potin road became critical for sustaining relief, rescue and emergency response operations.
Responding swiftly to a request from the civil administration, BRO’s 756 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), under Project Arunank, mobilised nearly 80 personnel along with heavy earth-moving machinery to undertake the restoration work.
Lt Col Rawat said that despite relentless rainfall, unstable hill slopes and recurring landslides, BRO personnel worked round the clock under extremely challenging conditions to clear debris, reconstruct damaged embankments and restore the road to traffic-worthy condition.
The road was successfully reopened for vehicular movement at midnight between Saturday and Sunday, within just 36 hours, re-establishing connectivity and enabling the uninterrupted movement of relief materials, emergency services and the general public, he said.
The BRO is also undertaking the upgradation of the Kimin-Potin road to double-lane specifications, which will significantly enhance the route’s long-term reliability, resilience and carrying capacity, further strengthening connectivity in this strategically important region.
The swift restoration once again underscores the BRO’s dedication to ensuring seamless connectivity in remote and challenging terrain while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the civil administration during natural disasters and emergencies, the defence spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the rain-triggered flash floods since June 23 in Keyi Panyor district has risen to two after rescuers recovered the body of a 30-year-old woman from beneath the debris at the NEEPCO Colony on Saturday. Three other people remain missing.
Officials said search and rescue operations by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Keyi Panyor Police are continuing to trace the three missing persons in the flash flood incident at the NEEPCO Colony.
The missing persons have been identified as Elesh Marak (13), Tao Anjina (46) and Sourav Kumar (48).
An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter was deployed on June 25 to airlift relief materials, including a rescue boat, and transport National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel to the flood-affected Keyi Panyor district.
According to district administration officials, five persons were initially reported missing after flash floods inundated the NEEPCO project colony near Poosa under the Yazali circle of Keyi Panyor district.
At least 20 people sustained injuries of varying severity in the calamity, including three who are reported to be in critical condition. The injured have been shifted to a government hospital for treatment.
Officials said an under-construction retaining wall collapsed following incessant heavy rainfall, leading to severe waterlogging in low-lying residential areas in and around the NEEPCO colony.
Around 20 houses and residential units were damaged after flash floods, triggered by continuous rainfall since June 23, battered the Yazali circle of Keyi Panyor district.
(IANS)
