The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched an emergency air relief operation by deploying a state-owned helicopter to transport food and medical supplies to remote villages in Lower Siang district that have been cut off by flash floods and landslides caused by days of heavy rainfall.
Road connectivity to several villages, including Rotte, Rame, Loglu, Lipin, Mane, Tene, Sipu, Kakki, Kadu, Rina, Sido and Korang, has been completely disrupted after bridges collapsed and landslides blocked access routes, leaving residents isolated from the rest of the state.
Following an urgent request from the Deputy Commissioner of Lower Siang, the government pressed a Skyone Airways Mi-172 helicopter into service. The aircraft was scheduled to undertake multiple sorties on Saturday, carrying emergency food stocks and essential medicines from the Pasighat Advanced Landing Ground in East Siang district to the Koyu helipad in Lower Siang.
The Directorate of Civil Aviation stated that the helicopter departed Naharlagun on Saturday morning and was expected to arrive at Koyu within an hour to begin the distribution of relief materials. Officials from the civil aviation department, district administration, disaster management authorities and food safety departments in Itanagar, Pasighat, Likabali and Nari have been placed on alert to ensure the timely unloading and delivery of supplies to the affected villages.
At the same time, the Lower Siang district administration has stepped up efforts to restore road connectivity along the Likabali-Basar-Bame stretch of the Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road. Likabali Additional Deputy Commissioner Mokar Riba said urgent clearance work is underway following a major landslide near Brahmaputra View at Garu.
To support the restoration work and maintain public safety, the administration has enforced a time-bound traffic regulation on the Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road. Authorities warned that anyone violating the restrictions would face action under the relevant legal provisions.
The Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road serves as a vital transport corridor for seven border districts of Arunachal Pradesh and is strategically significant for facilitating the movement of security personnel and equipment to frontier areas.
