Southern Assam is once again reeling under the crushing weight of monsoon disruptions, with the Barak Valley effectively cut off from the rest of the country due to collapsed road and rail networks.

As rains lashed the region over the past few days, landslides in the Lumding–Badarpur section and large stretches of damaged highways through Meghalaya have crippled connectivity, forcing thousands of residents into isolation.

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The railway services, once heralded as a lifeline after the broad-gauge upgrade, have come to a grinding halt.

Incessant rainfall has triggered multiple landslides along the hill section between New Haflong and Jatinga Lampur, with debris blocking tracks and halting passenger services including Silchar–Sealdah Express.

The Northeast Frontier Railway has issued statements indicating that full restoration might take up to 72 hours, though locals remain skeptical.

Meanwhile, critical services such as examinations and job interviews have been affected, with the State Level Recruitment Commission (SLRC) forced to reschedule interviews for candidates from the region.

Road connectivity is no better.

National Highway 6, the only all-weather road linking Silchar to Shillong and Guwahati via Meghalaya, has deteriorated into a dangerous stretch marred by potholes, landslides, and traffic snarls.

Vehicles remain stranded for hours near Sonapur as hill slopes continue to crumble under the pressure of rain and heavy freight. Alternative routes through NH-27 between Haflong and Silchar have proven to be equally unreliable, turning a routine journey into a grueling eight-hour ordeal.

Adding to the region’s misery is the recent collapse of a key bridge over the Harang River in Cachar district.

The bridge, used for transporting essential goods to Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur, gave way under the weight of overloaded trucks in mid-June, completely severing ground connectivity to three northeastern states.

Emergency ferry services have since been deployed, but these are sporadic and insufficient for the scale of need.

With both road and rail routes compromised, the skies are the only way out—and even that comes at a steep price. Flight tickets to Silchar have surged well beyond Rs 10,000, making emergency travel unaffordable for many.

The situation worsened after Air India abruptly pulled out of Silchar on June 1, citing fleet rationalization, leaving just IndiGo and Alliance Air to operate on the route.

The limited number of flights and soaring demand have sparked outrage.

This is not an isolated incident but a pattern repeated every monsoon. For the people of Barak Valley, this annual cycle of disruption, isolation, and neglect has become all too familiar.

Despite years of promises and partial attempts at development, including the proposed East-West Corridor through Jatinga and the Silchar greenfield airport project, the region remains perilously vulnerable.

What is unfolding in Barak Valley is more than just a weather crisis—it is a humanitarian and infrastructural failure. Students are missing critical exams, patients cannot reach hospitals, and daily wage workers are being pushed into economic distress.

The lack of alternative routes, poorly maintained roads, and short-sighted planning have turned the monsoon into a season of dread for the valley’s 40 lakh residents.