A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: Heavy and continuous rainfall triggered major landslides at three separate locations along National Highway 315 (A) on Tuesday, raising fears that road connectivity between Assam's Dibrugarh district and Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district could be completely severed at any moment.
The highway which connects Jeypore in Dibrugarh district with Deomali and Khonsa in Tirap district has seen large sections of road cave in following the landslides. All three affected points are located near the Kathalguri Beat Office under the Jeypore Forest Range, close to the notorious 'U-turn' area, where half of the hilly road has slid down towards a deep gorge below.
The situation is particularly alarming because the road passes through the Dihing Patkai National Park and had undergone widening and reconstruction only last year. Despite that work, the route has once again become extremely dangerous and narrow in the wake of the fresh landslides.
Authorities have already imposed a night traffic ban along the Jeypore-Kathalguri stretch, prohibiting vehicles from using the road between 6 pm and 6 am as a precautionary measure. The National Highways Authority has also installed safety barricades along the damaged sections. However, fears are escalating that any further deterioration could bring the road to a complete standstill.
With the monsoon season well underway and rainfall showing no signs of letting up, the condition of the highway is expected to worsen in the coming days.
Also Read: Landslides, flash floods hit Arunachal Pradesh; 5 people missing