ITANAGAR, Jul 13: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a Special Financial Package and immediate Central intervention to support relief, restoration and reconstruction efforts in Arunachal Pradesh, which has been severely affected by widespread floods and landslides even before the peak monsoon season.
In a representation submitted to the Prime Minister, AAPSU urged the Centre to declare the prevailing situation a disaster of severe nature, release immediate financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), and sanction a dedicated reconstruction package to restore damaged roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, drinking water infrastructure and other essential public assets across the state.
The union's appeal comes amid an alarming disaster scenario. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), more than 97,000 people across all 26 districts have been affected by floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall. Seven people have lost their lives, while 29 others have been injured. Search and rescue operations are also continuing in Tirap district for two schoolboys who were swept away by the Chatjo River, with one body already recovered.
The disaster has caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and essential services. Official figures indicate that 150 roads, 19 bridges, 21 culverts, 221 drinking water supply schemes, 58 government buildings and 156 power lines have been damaged. Several hydropower projects, hospitals and educational institutions have also suffered varying degrees of destruction.
In the agriculture sector, over 541 hectares of standing crops have been damaged, while nearly 1,010 hectares of forest land have also been affected.
AAPSU president Meje Taku, in the representation, said the magnitude of the devastation—occurring well before the peak monsoon month of August—poses a serious threat to years of developmental progress made in the frontier state. He emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh's fragile Himalayan terrain, coupled with its strategic location along the international border, makes it especially vulnerable to recurring natural disasters and warrants sustained support from the Central Government rather than one-time relief measures.
The students' body also sought the immediate restoration of strategically significant road networks, particularly National Highway-13 and the approach road to the Sela Tunnel, both of which have suffered damage due to continuous rainfall and landslides.
It further demanded the constitution of a Central assessment team to work in coordination with the State Government for a comprehensive damage assessment and the speedy release of compensation to affected families, farmers and institutions.
AAPSU expressed confidence that timely intervention by the Centre would not only accelerate rehabilitation and reconstruction but also strengthen disaster resilience in the border state.
Meanwhile, relief, rescue and restoration efforts are continuing across Arunachal Pradesh. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), State Highway Department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and district administrations are working round the clock to reopen blocked roads, restore essential services and assist affected communities, even as the weather department has forecast further heavy rainfall over the coming days.