Itanagar: The Siang district unit of Indian National Congress (INC) on Monday imposed a 12-hour bandh in the Siang district over the state government’s alleged failure to restore a collapsed portion of national highway (NH-13) at Lelek near Rottung village in the district’s Kebang Circle.
Siang District Congress Committee (DCC) president Tagum Sitang in a statement this evening said that the bandh was necessitated due to the “delay strategy” adopted by the department concerned and the state government in restoring the said stretch of road.
He further appealed to the state government to take immediate and necessary action to restore the important road connecting several districts.
A major portion of the Pangin-Pasighat highway had got washed away on June 26 this year following incessant rainfall and the same has been severely hampering the surface connectivity of the Siang, West Siang, Shi-Yomi and Upper Siang districts.
Witnessing the agony of the commuters, the public leaders and locals of the Pangin and Kebang circles had in July this year constructed a temporary suspension bridge over the said stretch of highway.
The bridge was built using bamboo and rope wires.
Echoing Sitang, DCC spokesperson Napi Darang said it has been almost 6 months since the section of road got washed away, but no action has been taken until now to restore the same.
“This has been causing untold suffering to commuters who use the highway to reach various destinations,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Siang DCC has also served a 10-day ultimatum to the state government to address the plight of the people and has threatened to launch its second phase of agitation to press for their demands if the government fails to respond.
The INC workers on the day also protested against the hike in fuel and cooking gas prices and that of other items.
Highway officials could not be contacted for their comment on the matter.
