Itanagar, Feb 23: Transport Minister Ojing Tasing on Monday stressed the need to professionalise the transport sector in Arunachal Pradesh by strictly adhering to the provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles (CMV) Act and Rules.
Inaugurating a three-day residential capacity-building workshop titled “Preparedness for Disaster Risk for the Transport Sector: Opportunities to Build Resilience” at the Administrative Training Institute, Naharlagun, the Minister urged senior field officers to remain sensitive to public needs, ensure prompt service delivery, and proactively prevent road accidents while planning effectively for disaster situations.
Highlighting the newly launched PM RAHAT scheme, Tasing sensitized participating District Transport Officers (DTOs) about its provisions, under which accident victims are entitled to cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh. The scheme aims to ensure zero loss of life due to lack of immediate medical assistance. He directed DTOs to coordinate with Deputy Commissioners and the Department of Transport to urgently operationalise the scheme across districts.
Emphasizing Arunachal Pradesh’s vulnerability to frequent landslides, heavy rainfall, and difficult terrain, the Minister underscored the importance of building a resilient transport system through stronger inter-departmental coordination, safer engineering practices, and data-driven planning.
The workshop is being organized by the Department of Transport, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh in collaboration with the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), Bengaluru. It is jointly funded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the State Transport Department. Over 50 participants, including DTOs, Station Superintendents, Motor Vehicle Inspectors, officers from the Department of Disaster Management, and transport officials from neighbouring states, are attending the residential training programme.
Commissioner Transport Saugat Biswas informed that this is the first in a series of such trainings aimed at enhancing departmental capacity. He said future programmes will continue to be held in Itanagar/Naharlagun in collaboration with leading knowledge partners to maximise participation of state officers.
In his keynote address, Amit Mohapatra, Head – Capacity Development, IIHS, stated that the workshop will focus on strengthening the State’s preparedness for disasters and climate-related risks that frequently disrupt transport connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh and other northeastern states. Sessions will cover climate-resilient transport planning, road safety in hilly terrain, inter-agency coordination, use of GIS and spatial tools for corridor risk assessment, emergency response systems, and integrated infrastructure planning under PM Gati Shakti.
Director of Transport Sokheplum Mining highlighted the importance of preparedness in a disaster-prone state like Arunachal Pradesh. He noted that through interactive sessions and group discussions, officers will be encouraged to align policy frameworks with district-level realities to ensure effective implementation on the ground.