Editor,

I wish to draw the urgent attention of the state government and the Railway authorities to the deplorable condition of the road connecting the Naharlagun railway station to the main highway.

A decade ago, I travelled from Delhi to Naharlagun via the Arunachal AC Superfast Express. Five years later, I relocated to Guwahati, and since then, I have made the journey to Naharlagun on the Donyi Polo Express more than 50 times. Despite the passage of 10 years and dozens of journeys, one shocking reality has remained completely unchanged: the atrocious state of this crucial connecting road.

Currently, Naharlagun serves as the lone functioning railway gateway to Arunachal Pradesh. Every day, thousands of tourists, businessmen, and locals rely on this station. Yet, the very first impression they get of our beautiful state is instantly ruined the moment they step outside the station premises. It is no exaggeration to say that the surface of the moon might be smoother than this stretch of road.

This prolonged neglect often seems caught in a bureaucratic tug of war. It is frequently argued that the land belongs to the Railways, creating a pretext for state inaction. However, jurisdictional boundaries should not paralyse public welfare. Even if the land falls under Railway jurisdiction, it is fundamentally the state government’s responsibility to protect the region’s public image and infrastructure. The state must step in decisively, issue necessary directives, and coordinate with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to ensure that a proper, durable road is constructed immediately.

A functioning transport hub requires functioning access. Instead, travellers are forced to navigate a gauntlet of potholes, dust in the winter, and deep slush during the monsoons. It poses a risk to vehicles, delays emergency transit, and embarrasses the state in front of every visiting tourist.

Months, seasons, and a full decade have passed without a single permanent solution. It forces ordinary citizens to ask a very painful question: why must our system work like this?

I urge the authorities concerned, local representatives, and the district administration to wake up from their slumber and resolve this issue before another decade slips by.

Musa Bhai