Students, parents pay heavy price for Dimapur road restrictions

DIMAPUR — The recent closure of the road over-bridge (ROB) at Hotel Tragopan junction for rehabilitation has led to extensive traffic diversions and restrictions in Dimapur, causing hardship for residents who rely on public transportation, particularly autorickshaws.

The Dimapur police issued an advisory on September 27, restricting the entry of commercial vehicles, including auto-rickshaws, on several key routes from 9 am to 7 pm. These restrictions affect major arteries such as the Tourist Point Flyover, Eros Lane Junction, Durga Mandir-Deluxe Point (MP Road), and Dhobinallah to Clock Tower, which connect the town area to Nagarjan, Burma Camp and beyond. Additionally, the route from Deluxe Point junction to Holy Cross junction has been converted to one-way traffic, with no entry for autorickshaws.

The restrictions, which came to effect on October 1, have left commuters with few options, all of which involve increased travel time, distance, or cost.

Janak, an autorickshaw driver explained that there are two alternative routes. Commuters can take the congested Dhobinallah route via Midland towards GS Road, then use the railway footbridge, exit the railway station, and catch another auto to their final destination. This option increases travel time due to traffic jams and involves some walking, and additional commuting costs of INR 150-200.

Another alternative is to hire an auto and travel to Half Nagarjan via the Thahekhu-Thilixu route. This option increases a normal 5-6 kilometre commute to 19-20 km and costs between INR 600-700 to reach Half Nagarjan.

Impact on students and daily commuters

On Friday (October 4), Eastern Mirror caught up with Anuvi, a class 8 student and his younger sibling who is in class 4, at a school located along the Deluxe Point-Holy Cross junction route. The duo was walking on the flyover in order to get to the Tourist Lodge area.

“We used to just walk out of school, catch an auto right there, and go straight home to Purana Bazaar via the flyover,” Anuvi explained.

However, with the new traffic regulations, the route where their school is located has been converted to one-way traffic, and more significantly, autorickshaws have been completely banned from entering the area, with one exception—a two-hour window in the morning for dropping off school children. There is no such relaxation when school gets out.

“Autos are not allowed near our school, so to go home we have to take an auto near Tourist Lodge”, the older boy said, adding that while he can manage this new routine, “It’s very difficult for my brother. He gets very tired.”

Another group of five students, aged between 10 and 12 years old and studying in grades 5-6, were seen trying to find transportation from their school in the Duncan Bosti area to their homes in Burma Camp.

Under normal circumstances, these students would have taken a straightforward 5-6 km journey home, costing about INR 100-150, via the now-closed ROB route.

However, the autorickshaw driver they approached informed them that due to the new restrictions, the only available route would be via Thahekhu road, and would cost them INR 800-900, depending on exactly where in Burma Camp they are going.

Seeing the students’ predicament, Rupesh, another driver offered an alternative solution—dropping them off at the railway station footbridge, from where they can cross over and find another auto on the other side to take them to Burma Camp. The students, though hesitant, agreed to this plan.

The driver also suggested using two-wheeler taxis. However, the children insisted on travelling together with one of the older students in the group explaining, “We’re all neighbours, and our parents prefer us to stick together for safety.”

Outside the school, Aienla, a parent who had come to pick her daughter, expressed concerns about the situation, stating that it is not just about the money, though that could also be a concern for some families.

“So many young children have to make complicated travel arrangements, and not all of them have groups to travel with. We have to think about safety also along with convenience,” she noted.

Meanwhile, Rupesh noted that some inconveniences are unavoidable as a major connection has been severed. However, there are ways to decrease the hardships by revising some of the routes.

Another driver, Amit, explained the necessity of higher fares for longer routes: “We cannot help it. If it was a matter of 1 or 2 km, we can adjust, but the distance has increased by 10-15 km. We cannot run at a loss.”

In the initial advisory, the Dimapur Commissioner of Police stated that “further changes to these regulations may be implemented based on traffic convenience and feasibility.”

In this connection, Amit suggested, “It’s been almost a week since the regulations were imposed. Considering the hardships faced by people who depend on autos, maybe a revision would be advisable.”

The rehabilitation of the ROB is expected to take at least three months.

Also read: Dimapur road over bridge: Repairs to take 3 months