EMN
Dimapur, November 12
A students’ organization representing the eastern districts of Nagaland has demanded that the state government hand over ‘19 major roads’ to the Border Roads’ Organization (BRO). The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) asserted on Thursday that the Nagaland government had failed “in providing and maintaining good roads within the eastern region.”
The group issued a press release on Thursday, November 12, stating the demand.
In one lengthy sentence, the press release explained: “While acknowledging the failure of the state government in providing and maintaining good roads within the Eastern region, that had largely affected the people in the remote part of the state the federation after thorough consultation and in accordance to the resolution adopted during the emergency federal assembly on 7th Nov 2015 and the subsequent presidential meeting held on 11th Nov 2015, the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation had served a representation addressed to the chief minister of Nagaland for immediate transfer/handing over 19 major roads within eastern Nagaland to Border Road Organization and have requested to convent emergency consultation meeting on the same on or before 30th Nov 2015.”
The list of roads the ENSF has demanded to be transferred it to the Border Road Organization are:
Naginimora-Mon road, Namsa-Mon Road, Aboi-Longleng road, Mkg-Tsg road via Chare, Tsg-Longmisa road via Haak & Noksen, Tsg-Longleng road via Sakshi, Noklak-Thonoknyu road via Nokhu, Thonoknyu-Waphur road via Zengki, Shamator-Panso road, Tsg-Kiphire road via Shamator, Changtongya-Longleng road, Longleng-Chuchuyemlang road via Mongtikang, Merangkong to Zero point (Kongan) via Tamlu, Longleng to laidogarh road via Tamlu, Kiphire-Seyochung road via Amahator, Kiphire-Shamator road and Kiphire-Pungro road.
The representation for transferring or handing over roads to the BRO had been “an offshoot of the decade old deprivation and suffering of the people on account of never-attended deplorable roads within eastern Nagaland,” the organization stated.
According to the ENSF, “absent (sic) of proper inter-district road connection between Longleng-Mon and Tuensang-Longleng and the inter-state connectivity with Assam and Arunachal and other deplorable road condition at the block level had been the major grievances addressed in the representation which should be immediately attended as requested.”
“Surprisingly,” the ENSF asserted, “Roads in eastern Nagaland become totally un-motor-able aftermath a slightest rain and the region remained totally excluded from the state during Assam or Karbi bandh.”
“50 years ago or more, the ever first known roads to the people were the ‘salt road/passage’ or the roads that was cleared as a passage to travel on foot in order to purchase salt,” the organization stated.
The ENSF stated: “With the advent of education in the region, the people had walked on foot carrying its personal ration to the town where school was instituted. Those roads were also used in the region as a passage for propagating the gospel from one village to the other.”
The roads today are “very much in degrading states instead,” the organization stated in lament. “Lack of political will of the successive government seems to be a major setback on the present deplorable road condition where the people of the region were left to be suffered till date.”
The ENSF also referred to a statement purportedly made by the governor of Nagaland: “We need good roads for all forms of progress and development” which was published in the local press. The organization opined that the current condition of roads in the region had “directly deprived all forms of development in the region.”
The ENSF complained: “Absent of good road is a gesture that denies development. Such state of condition also encourages inefficient Government officers and employees to seldom reside in the remote station whereby such attitude and incidences not only affects the administrative functioning of the government alone but it also delays or denies the local issues from being exposed for immediate remedy.’
Further, the press release said “Educationally speaking, textbooks, uniforms and other learning equipments are being delayed in the school on time.” The group alleged further that the “supply of basic health medicine are being delayed and it is left with few month expire date when it finally reaches the CHC, PSC and other dispensary. It is also a pain to see that a patient could hardly survive taken on an ambulance on a bumpy road.”
Even more, the ENSF stated, “In general, the infliction is vested more on the economy of the poor people where the very economy that determines education, health and other developmental activities in the region are being paralysed. Interestingly today, a blindfolded person travelling on vehicle will be certain as to which part of the state he is travelling.”
Apart from newly proposed roads to be transferred to BRO, the organization had also included in the proposal retention of the Mon-Tuensang road via Tobu and Mon-Longwa road under said construction agency.
It may be noted that the proposed 19 roads which was demanded to be transferred to the Border Road Organization was moved “on the recommendation of the 6 federating units of ENSF and hence the state government should take serious note on the plea of the people for their survival and existence at this age.”
The organization has strongly demanded that the government “immediately legislate an act that would comply the demand of the federation without delay so as to felicitate in providing better quality of roads as per the aspiration of the people and not in accordance the wishes of the government.”
