The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a special financial package and urgent central intervention for relief and restoration works, as the state reels under widespread floods and landslides ahead of the peak monsoon season.
In its letter, AAPSU has urged the Centre to declare the current situation a disaster of severe nature, release immediate assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund, and sanction a dedicated financial package for reconstruction of damaged roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and water supply systems across the state.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the ongoing spell of floods and landslides has affected over 97,000 people across all 26 districts, claiming seven lives and leaving 29 injured. A search and rescue operation is also underway in Tirap district for two schoolboys swept away by the Chatjo River, with one body already recovered.
The disaster has caused extensive damage to public infrastructure, with 150 roads, 19 bridges, 21 culverts, 221 water supply schemes, 58 government buildings and 156 power lines affected, along with damage to hydel projects, hospitals and schools. Over 541 hectares of standing crops and nearly 1,010 hectares of forest land have also been hit.
AAPSU president Meje Taku, in the representation, said the scale of destruction — occurring even before the peak monsoon month of August — threatens to undo years of developmental gains in the state and called for sustained central attention rather than one-time relief measures, citing the state’s fragile Himalayan terrain and its critical location along the international border.
The union has also demanded expedited restoration of strategically important routes, including National Highway-13 and the approach road to the Sela Tunnel, both of which have been damaged in the latest spell of rain.
It has further sought the constitution of a Central assessment team to work with the state government and fast-track compensation for affected families, farmers and institutions.
Relief, rescue and restoration operations continue across the state, with the Border Roads Organisation and the state Highway Department working to reopen blocked routes, even as fresh rainfall is forecast in the coming days.
Arunachal Flood Crisis: Students’ Union Urges Centre to Declare Severe Disaster, Release Funds
