The Officers’ Compound Road Construction Team, Forest Ward, Kiphire Town, has expressed gratitude to the 30 Assam Rifles, led by its Commandant, and the Home Guards and Civil Defence/State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Kiphire, for clearing a road blocked by multiple landslides triggered by recent incessant rainfall.

The team said the restoration of the route has brought much-needed relief to residents and appealed to the district administration and the concerned department to take up permanent restoration work at the earliest, describing the road as a lifeline for thousands of people.

According to the team, the road serves as a vital link for school and college students, office-goers and the transportation of essential commodities.

Meanwhile, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said the affected site was inspected on August 1, following which tarpaulins were distributed to affected families as immediate relief. SDRF assistance application forms were also issued to eligible households that suffered infrastructure damage in accordance with SDRF guidelines.

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The DDMA clarified that its excavator had already been deployed in the area to clear damaged drainage channels as part of the ongoing disaster response and that the blocked road was under its notice.

However, it explained that since the affected stretch was a recently constructed road, immediate debris clearance was deliberately deferred to avoid destabilising the slope further and causing additional damage to nearby houses and other structures.

The authority said it had been continuously monitoring the situation and planned to undertake road clearance after weather conditions improved and, if necessary, in consultation with ward authorities to assess soil stability.

It added that following a satisfactory safety assessment, clearance work would be carried out to restore normal traffic movement while ensuring public safety.