A boon for Vijaynagar people: Minister Kamlung Mossang

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: The 2G mobile services launched in Vijaynagar Administrative Circle of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh recently, has been serving as a boon for the 4,500 odd people of 16 villages, though they are still not linked by road.

The earlier V-set was a costly affair with various snags, but the people are availing the service through satellite network with solar power, which has almost a dream come true, said Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Kamlung Mossang, who is also the local legislator of the area.

Vijaynagar is located along the India-China-Myanmar tri-junction with one of its sides surrounded by the Namdapha National Park. However, this area is still deprived of surface communication. It takes around five to six days on foot to walk 157.56-km through dense forests from the nearest town of Miao. This is because this isolated area still lacks surface communication.

The villagers depend on wetland and jhum cultivation for their livelihood. The basic requirement of groceries is met by a few local shops which bring goods mostly on foot. For other essential requirements, the inhabitants depend on the Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers which carry out sorties depending on the weather conditions.

"Journey to Vijoynagar by foot is a Herculean task. Development naturally moves at a snail's speed in this part of the State," said Bordumsa village headman Shekhep Nyabon Pongtey.

However, Mossang has been making consistent efforts to develop the road to Vijaynagar, spread across 8,000 sq km, which was discovered during an expedition, named 'Srijit-II' in 1961, led by the then Assam Rifles IG Major General AS Guraya. Later the valley was named after his son, Vijay. 

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