Portion of NH-313 caves in due to landslide in Arunachal

    Itanagar, Apr 25 (PTI) A portion of National Highway-313 caved in due to a landslide, triggered by incessant rain in Arunachal Pradesh for the past few days, disrupting traffic movement, an official said on Thursday.
    Surface communication to Dibang Valley district in the northeastern state snapped after the vital highway stretch, connecting Roing in Lower Dibang Valley with Anini, around 83 kilometres away from the India-China border, was damaged.
    The road between Hunli and Anini, the Dibang Valley district headquarters, was damaged due to the landslide on Wednesday night, leaving the border district isolated from the mainland, he said.
    “The district administration has deployed workers and adequate machinery to repair the road on a war footing. It will take a couple of days to restore traffic movement,” Anini additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Dhurbajyoti Borah said.
    He, however, said that efforts were being made so that small vehicles could ply on the road by Thursday evening.
    The Roing-Anini highway is the lifeline for the Dibang Valley district, facilitating the movement of people and goods to and from the region.
    The road holds strategic importance for the nation’s security along the international border with China, the official said.
    Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed his concern over the situation there.
    “Disturbed to learn the inconvenience being caused to commuters due to the extensive damage to the highway between Hunli and Anini. Instructions have been issued to restore the connectivity at the earliest as this road connects Dibang Valley to the rest of the country,” Khandu said in a social media post.
    The district administration has advised people to exercise caution and refrain from travelling until repair works are completed.
    Since March this year, National Highway-313 has been adversely impacted by several landslides, causing blockades at various locations between Hunli and Anini, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)