Arunachal Pradesh is known for its scenic beauty but the roads are a nightmare.
The road to NDA government's 'Act East' policy has major challenges ahead. The biggest perhaps being the overhauling of road infrastructure. States like Arunachal Pradesh are strategically important but suffer a very poor connectivity with the rest of the country.
The Modi government has said connecting the northeast to the mainland is one of its primary goals. But till that happens, if you travel to Arunachal Pradesh, prepare for a back breaking ride. While the beauty of the place is breath-taking, the roads are nothing short of a nightmare.
People in Arunachal Pradesh say the situation hasn't changed for years and carry the age-old perception that northeast is neglected.
The road to Tawang through Bomdila is a challenge for drivers and getting to Tawang takes over 12 hours. The road near Sela Pass which is at 13,700 feet above the sea level is just gravel path which cars have to negotiate with great difficulty.
An alternate route through Bhutan and Lumla is being constructed. It will cut travel time by six hours but there is no clarity on when it will be operational. A 1,500 km trans-Arunachal highway from Tawang in the western part of the state to Kanubari in the east is also on the anvil and will take time to become operational.
"Tyres are often damaged and cars start giving problems if you drive here," driver Pasang Sherpa, who ferries passengers on the route on a daily basis, told NDTV.
Many alternate routes leading to Arunachal Pradesh are not operational or are poorly maintained.
Firoz Ali, a hotel manager in Bomdila said, "I can't tell you how bad the situation is. Tourists who come here don't return because of the bad road."
"Since May 2014, working on the 'look east', which is now 'act east' policy, ministers have been told that they should frequently visit the northeast, look for opportunities, look for challenges so that we can work out and sort issues out so that northeast is no longer alienated," Commerce and Industries Minister Nirmala Sitaraman told NDTV.
The government's policies are yet to deliver meanwhile the treacherous conditions of roads in Arunachal Pradesh make simple commutes from one town to another a huge challenge.
Securing the border state, which was subjected to Chinese aggression in 1962, is also a huge challenge. "No mobile networks, no connectivity and it takes 10-14 hours from the nearest airport to get here. We have to mentally prepare ourselves to go on leave too," Captain Urujh Jaffri told NDTV.
Maintaining the roads is the Border Roads Organisation's responsibility. But the very heavy rainfall in monsoon and heavy snow in winter makes maintenance even more difficult, resulting in frequent landslides.
Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of State for Home Affairs and state lawmaker told NDTV, "Communication has been a major bottleneck here. The road condition is very bad and the weather is also extreme here. We are working very hard and I will speak to the defence minister also so that budget allocation for road maintenance is increased."