Arunachal's Holongi road chokes in mudslide mayhem, administration faces heat

A massive traffic disruption has gripped the Holongi-Itanagar route following a landslide triggered by rampant earth-cutting and continuous rainfall. 

Several vehicles, including cars and two-wheelers, have remained stranded in thick mud and debris since last night, as the Papum Pare district administration faces sharp criticism for its inaction.

The landslide, which occurred early Friday morning, was caused by illegal and unscientific earth-cutting along National Highway 415, near Holongi, a stretch that connects the state capital, Itanagar to the Donyi Polo Airport and Assam. Despite the strategic importance of this 14-km route, no official from the district administration, highway department, or disaster management was spotted on-site for hours to aid stranded commuters, even as torrential rain battered the area.

Eyewitnesses and local residents report that this is not the first time such negligence has been witnessed. Landslides on this stretch are a recurring monsoon menace, exacerbated by unchecked earth-cutting carried out during the dry winter season. The loose and unstable soil gives way with even moderate rainfall, turning the route into a muddy trap.

Tula Mahanta, a commuter from Assam who owns a newly purchased Scorpio SUV, shared his ordeal with India Today. “I have been stuck here since last night. I was trying to help a local Arunachal man whose Alto had skidded into the mud. Unfortunately, my vehicle also got stuck. There were no warning signs, no patrolling, and not a single person from the administration around. This is a complete failure. The earth-cutting should be banned or regulated strictly,” he said.

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The situation has prompted the Papum Pare District Commissioner, IAS Vishakha Yadav, to issue a statement assuring the deployment of machinery to clear the route and restore traffic. The highway department, however, has remained silent on the timeline for the clearance work.

Officials have pointed out that a slope stabilization and erosion control project, awarded to Bharat Construction Pvt. Ltd by the NHAI in 2022, is currently underway. But the project is facing significant delays due to Arunachal’s difficult terrain, unstable slopes, and unpredictable weather patterns.

Meanwhile, the State Disaster Management Department has issued alerts to all district commissioners across the state, as heavy rainfall continues to cause floods and landslides in multiple districts.

Local MLA Nabam Vivek of the 14th Doimukh Assembly Constituency has previously urged residents of the Holongi belt to stop earth-cutting near highways without proper safety measures and permissions. He has stressed the need to preserve the region’s natural environment to avoid recurring disasters during the monsoon.

As hundreds of stranded commuters wait for relief on a crucial lifeline to the capital, questions grow louder about the lack of preventive measures, absence of early warnings, and the unchecked human actions that have turned the Holongi road into a seasonal death trap.