The floodwaters didn’t spare a single road. They didn’t spare the bridges either. And when the rains finally eased enough for anyone to move, Koloriang MLA Pani Taram didn’t wait for a report on his desk — he went up in a helicopter and then came right back down to the ground.
A Disaster Hidden in the Hills
The villages of Damin, Paniasang, and Parsi Parlo sit in the remote folds of Kurung Kumey district, pressed close to the Indo-China border. These are not places you reach easily even in dry weather. After the recent round of relentless monsoon rains and flash floods, they became near-impossible to access. Roads blocked by landslides. Bridges either collapsed outright or hanging by a thread. Schools damaged. Entire communities effectively cut off from the rest of Arunachal Pradesh. The scale of destruction demanded someone show up — and Pani Taram, who also serves as Advisor to the Home Minister (PHE & Water Supply), chose to do exactly that.
Sky First, Ground Next
Taram conducted both an aerial and a ground survey of the affected areas under the 21-Koloriang (ST) Assembly Constituency on July 15. That combination matters. An aerial view gives you the big picture — you can see how widespread the destruction is, which stretches of road have vanished, where the rivers jumped their banks. But the ground visit is where you actually hear people. He was joined by the Zilla Parishad Chairperson, the Zilla Parishad Member of Damin, officers from ITBP and BRO, local administrative officials, and a large number of residents who came out to show the damage firsthand. It was, by any measure, a serious delegation.
What the Survey Revealed
The findings were grim. Multiple bridges have collapsed or been severely damaged, snapping the lifeline connections between villages. Landslides have swallowed stretches of road whole. Government schools — already scarce in these border regions — have taken significant hits too. For communities living in areas where the nearest town can take hours to reach on a good day, losing road access isn’t an inconvenience. It’s a crisis.
Promises Made, Reports Promised
Taram assured the affected communities that the state government is committed to immediate relief, restoration of road connectivity, and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure. He also confirmed that a comprehensive damage assessment report will be submitted to the state government to fast-track fund sanctions. Residents of Damin, Paniasang, and Parsi Parlo expressed genuine appreciation for the visit — because in disaster situations, being seen matters as much as being helped.
There is something to be said for an elected representative who doesn’t just hold a press conference from Itanagar. The people living near India’s most sensitive borders already deal with isolation, limited infrastructure, and now the monsoon’s fury. When the roads wash away and the bridges fall, the least they deserve is someone willing to show up — even if it takes a helicopter to get there.
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