Kohima-Jessami two-lane project: CPO seeks co-ordination from affected villages, landowners

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 4 (EMN): The Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) conducted a consultative meeting with villages and landowners affected by the Kohima-Jessami two-lane road project at Pfutsero on October 3.

The meeting was conducted by the organisation to seek ‘proper co-ordination’ from the villages and landowners in Phek district.  

Minister for Planning and Co-ordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, Neiba Kronu while speaking at the meeting said that ‘roads and power supply are the most important factors for development and progress’.

Though education, water supply, and health are also important factors, it is power and roads which will help the district develop and progress, he said.

The minister said that he had approached the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for two-laning of the Kohima-Jessami road, as it is the lifeline of Phek district.

He informed that the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) Ltd. is the implementing agency and the project has been subcontracted. He added that the state’s local contractors do not qualify to take major contracts in the global tenders.

He maintained that the roads passing or touching those villages should consider themselves as the benefactors. “We are all stakeholders and if we don’t co-operate, it will be our own loss,” Kronu added.

‘Village councils are the sole authority of the respective villages, which is also recognised by the state government and therefore they should play the pivotal role of bringing together the landowners so that the development process is not hampered,’ he maintained.

He requested the district administration, CPO, and the land survey committee to complete the verification process at the earliest. 

The minister also informed that several other road projects including Chozuba-Phek, Phek-Meluri, Lozaphuhu-Avankhu and Pfutsero-Tadubi road have also been approved and works are in progress.   

While stating that the Nagaland portion of Pfutsero-Tadubi road has already been completed, the minister requested his counterpart in Manipur to ‘give effort to complete their side of the road’.

He informed that land compensation would not be given but the landowners will receive the value of the property damaged, including paddy fields that are damaged in the process of road construction. The minister also told the CPO to maintain uniformity of rate on compensation for damage property.

An official of NHIDCL, the implementing agency of the road project, said that the Phek portion of 109.32 km Kohima-Jessami road up to Lanye, has been subcontracted into five packages and the work would start once the compensations are cleared.

The time for completion of packages 1, 2 and 3 from Kohima to Mesulumi village is two years; and 4 and 5 from Mesulumi to Lanye is 18 months, the official added.

CPO president Mikha Kenye said that the two-lane road construction project from Kohima to Jessami is ‘so dear and important to the people of Phek district’.

“We cannot allow or tolerate any individual/groups with selfish motive to disturb the construction of the road,” said Kenye.

He appealed to the people to extend their support and co-operation to the authority and the construction firms and see to it that the project is not disturbed by any person or groups, ‘be it overground or underground.’

He urged the implementing agencies and contractors to ensure that the quality of work is not compromised but strictly executed as per the prescribed specification.

Co-convenor of CPO sub-committee on Kohima–Jessami two- lane road, Welete Kapfo, said that the committee will also supervise the project for successful implementation.

Deputy Commissioner of Phek, Sachin Jaiswal, informed that the district administration is only surveying the land while the rate of compensation for property damage is being fixed by the technical team.

He requested the village councils to support the survey team with proper data and identification of landowners. 

“We are trying to help the villages and landowners to the possible extent, but the village councils have a major responsibility towards the success of the project,” Jaiswal said.     

Meanwhile, the meeting endorsed the resolutions adopted at the joint meeting with all the affected villages and towns on August 29 at Pfutsero. It was resolved that uniformity of rate on compensation for damaged property should be maintained without any bias by the implementing agency.

It reaffirmed the CPO resolution No. 4 of June 29, 2020 at Phek town that unauthorised body, be it individual or a group of individuals having any grievances  under the ongoing project, would not be permissible to approach the administrative authorities unless it is routed through its own village/town council.

It also endorsed another resolution that obstruction in any manner, by any village or town to hamper the developmental activities, would not be allowed.