Among all major hurdles faced by Arunachal Pradesh in the path towards development, it’s undoubtedly the extremely-poor state of infrastructure, cutting across almost all sectors. Detailed analyses will not be necessary as everything is visible to eyes and perceptible by the state’s people who desperately long for an urgent rectification. While the dreams and deficiencies have been coexisting with companionship dating back to the bygone decades, it’s the pandemic in its cruelest form that has exposed the latter’s depth like never before. This has resulted in coining of the buzzword ‘self-sufficiency’, now a common utterance by the state’s political and bureaucratic people. Unquestionably, among the major developmental goals the state is currently pursuing, the Trans Arunachal Highway (TAH) project will be at the forefront. But, to tell exactly as it has been, the dream so far has seen countless phases which can be termed nothing else but 'nightmarish'. Besides delays of epical proportions and missing of innumerable completion deadlines, it’s the eruption of scams that has brought huge disrepute to the state and a negative perception has gradually seen a flourish that it will perhaps never be completed. Still, whenever any positive activities regarding the TAH are seen, buried hopes fork out.

Keeping aside the bare technicalities of the project and the percentage achieved of its completion for the time being, for one more time it’s necessary to draw attention to what the economic significance of the TAH will be for the state. For throwing a proper light on this aspect, a statement from any farmer of the state will suffice. Packed with bountiful agricultural and horticultural resources, the farmers, even if possessing proven capabilities of churning out commercially-viable outputs have their financial fortunes restricted within a radius which is hopelessly meagre. This is primarily because of the inability of reaching out to markets as there are no viable means of cheap communication linkages. Only the TAH can bring radical changes and set into motion the wheels of development with a speed the state has been wishing for long and the same impact can be expected in case of industries of all types. In every sense- social, cultural, economic and so on, the TAH will be the most effective unifying factor for entire Arunachal, the largest in terms of geographical area in the entire NE.

Only a more stronger political will, more responsibility from the executing agencies and more cooperation from the people can make this apparently impossible dream transform into reality.