Dimapur’s most horrible road: Dusty community appeals–again–for rescue

Dobhi Nullah-Thahekhu road doesn’t even have ‘lipstick’

EMN
Dimapur, May 26

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he tired, hoarse-voiced, spine-jarred, rattled-faced, and dust-covered people of urban Dimapur are appealing once to the government of Nagaland to take a few seconds off from its political celebrations and look toward Dimapur town’s most deplorable stretch of highway – the horrible Dobhi Nullah to Signal to Thahekhu village road.The urban highway, believe it or not, is right in the heart of Nagaland’s most urban districts. It also serves as the artery for essentials and goods supply from Diphu in Assam.
The ugliest and most horrible road in urban Dimapur town, the Army Supply Road, hasn’t seen a decent piece of repair or maintenance work on it for a long time; not even longtime shopkeepers who have been doing business along the urban highway for a decade remember when the last time the road received even a “lipstick” treatment. The condition of the road is that severe that now even small cars are unable to travel on it.
(“Lipstick road” is a recent derogatory term citizens of Dimapur have been using to describe roads paved by the government / government agencies. The term purports to suggest that only color was applied on the surface to look like a road).
The still-patient community of 13 villages in the town that the Army Supply Road passes through have once again issued a memorandum to the government demanding redress. The communities, under the leadership of a joint action committee representing the population, has politely asked the state government to listen to the grievances of commuters, motorists, and public members in general who use the shameful road everyday–and with all suffering.
The joint action committee representing 13 villages in and around the commercial urban center issued a statement on Tuesday, May 26, reminding the government politely that this appeal was not the first. The letter was addressed to the Minister for Public Works Department (Roads & Bridges).
“We, the undersigned convener and secretary of Joint Action Committee for Dhobinullah-Signal Angami-Thahekhu-Rangapahar Road would like to draw the attention of honorable Minister, PWD (Roads & Bridges), Nagaland on miserable situation being faced by commuters due to completely depleted condition of the said road.
“The JAC, a committee comprising of representatives of 13 villages and colonies those have been affected by the worsened condition of the road, apprised the concerned time and again the plight of those who commute on the road and urged the concerned department a number times to take up repair and maintenance works of the said road,” the committee stated.
The effected colonies and villages are Sema Tilla, Metha Colony, Xuvihe, Lhomthi Village, Signal Colony, Rio Colony, Signal Angami, Naga Gaon, Thahekhu Village, Sangtam Tilla, Y. Zhimo Colony, Kevijau Village and Phom Colony & Sericulture office area.
It may be noted here that any person who happens to travel on this shameful road suffers the gigantic craters, loose stones, extremely dense dust and grime. The monsoon season has already begun and the rains are expected to worsen the already worsened surface of the stretch.
From highway to row-way
The community organization had written a memorandum to the then minister for PWD (R&B) on April 17. Several appeals to take up repair and maintenance works in the interest of the public followed the letter. The community reminded that as of now the condition of the road had gone from bad to worse and even small cars are now unable to ply in some stretches of the road.
The committee reminded of the public’s own initiative to at least mitigate the suffering they have to endure when travelling on it. The organization stated:
“However, more than a year has elapsed and till date, there has been no positive response from the concerned department. Also, in a bid to improve the worsening condition of the road, the Joint Action Committee with support and cooperation from the residents of the colonies and villages had initiated and conducted rounds of mass social works filling the potholes with sand gravel but whatever repair works public had done have already worn out due to severity of the road condition”.
“Therefore, on behalf of the entire population of 13 effected colonies and villages, the Joint Action Committee makes sincere appeal to the concerned minster and department to look in the matter as the problem being faced is genuine,” the memorandum stated.