Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Monday expressed his “total dismay” over the “dismally slow” pace of progress in the construction of the four-lane NH-415 from Papu Nallah to Nirjuli causing “extreme” inconvenience to commuters.

Khandu made the observation while chairing a review meeting to take stock of the damage caused to the highway between Itanagar and Naharlagun and the destruction in the state capital Itanagar due to heavy rains on Sunday.

Khandu “took exception to the dismally slow construction process” of the four-lane highway stretch causing extreme inconvenience to commuters, an official statement said.

Khandu specifically mentioned the slow progress of Package B of NH-415, a nearly 4km stretch between Papu Nallah and Nirjuli church point, construction of which had started towards the end of 2021.

The 59-km-long NH-415 has been divided into three packages and runs through Gohpur in Assam to Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar before ending at Banderdewa.

The heavy downpour at around 10.15am had flooded several localities in the state capital, including the highway, besides causing landslides.

Directing highway department officials to immediately expedite construction/repair without compromising on quality to ensure a smooth flow of traffic, Khandu said, “Ensuring timely completion and maintenance of our infrastructure projects is crucial for the benefit of our citizens and the state’s development.”

Papu Nalah was badly affected by the rain-triggered flood on Sunday.