The provision of transport infrastructure and services in Arunachal Pradesh is the responsibility of two departments—Directorate of Transport and State Transport Corporation. The former is entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the provision of Motor Vehicle Acts and Rules of State/Centre by issuing permits and licences, and collecting taxes. Inland water transportation, anti-vehicular pollution measures, and implementation of road safety programmes are some of the other functions of this department. The State Transport Corporation, on the other hand, is responsible for the provision of public transport services, which at present are limited to bus services. The following sections discuss transport sub-sectors in Arunachal Pradesh in detail.
Roads and Bridges
Roads constitute the principal mode of access and communication in the hilly and difficult terrains of the State. Presently, the State has the lowest road development index in the country. The road density 18 km per 100 sq km of area as against the Indian average of 75 km per 100 sq km and the north-eastern regional average of 52 km per 100 sq km.
Also, the lowest densities of national and state highways are found here. The levels of rural connectivity are also low as out of the total 3599 villages in Arunachal Pradesh, roads connect only 1407, i.e., roughly 40 per cent of the villages.
After Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh possesses the least length of national highways (NH) in the region. Arunachal Pradesh also exhibited the lowest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in comparison to the other states of the north-east. In terms of growth of total length of roads also, Arunachal Pradesh has exhibited a low annual growth rate, as compared to other NE states.
The bridges in the State, mostly semi-permanent and timber are currently in weak and distressed conditions. The Department of Transport had proposed a project on weighbridges in the year 2000 along with a list of proposed locations. The rationale of the proposal, besides preventing accident occurrences, was to raise revenue for the State government by charging weighing fee on the bridges.
Railways
For many years now, the status of railways in Arunchal Pradesh has been at a standstill, with the state having a negligible 1.26 km of metre guage railway line. This line forms a part of the 34.04 km Balipara-Bhalukpong metre guage section of the North with Bhalukpong being the terminal point in Arunachal Pradesh. Table 19.8 gives a state-wise description of railways in the north-eastern region. Of the total 2453 km of railway route in the north-eastern region, almost 2392 km lies in Assam itself.
In 2007, the Government of India decided to construct new railway lines from Harmoti to Naharlagun which the survey is being conducted and work has already been started.
Water Transport and Ropeways
The State consists of five well-delineated river systems—the Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Dibang and Lohit-Tellu, which form a part of the Brahmaputra system. However, as far as inland navigation is concerned, it is only viable in the southern plains of the State overlooking the Brahmaputra river .
Currently some small-scale ferry services are in operation, carried out mostly by private operators but no planned effort has been made at developing an efficient means of water transport system in the State. In fact, no budgetary allocations have been made to this sub-sector . In the NE region, only Assam has made some progress in this region due to its geographical advantage.
Despite geographical limitations, there is potential to develop water transport systems at certain points in the medium to long term for both passenger and freight movement. This would not only be an environmentally friendly mode of transport but also help in revenue generation for the State.
Ropeways are another transportation option in the State, especially in locations where the cost of providing roads or other means cannot be justified by the demand. However, the safety concerns associated with ropeways cannot be overlooked and technology options need to be well planned before this option is developed further.
Civil Aviation
Arunachal Pradesh is only one of the few states in India which does not have any functional airport. In 1995 only the Government of India decided to run Pawan Hans Helicopter Services in Arunachal Pradesh on commercial visits.
The decision was a consequence of the limited scope of surface transportation development and the need to create a quick link between the capital and administrative centres in various districts. Initially, Pawan Hans Helicopter Services were started on two routes13 and subsequently extended to other locations to be availed on emergency situations like rescue operations during roadblocks, landslides, etc., and rendering services to government officials.
Presently there are 85 helipads, 11 advanced landing grounds (ALGs) for transporting passengers and goods for operation of Pawan Hans helicopter services and Army sortie services
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