EMN
Dimapur, December 19
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Nagaland questioned why the roads in Nagaland are still built with specifications that are outdated and do not serve modern demands of travel and use. The current specifications – or the lack of them – meet only the demands of yesteryears’ traffic and not for modern needs, the BJP stated in a press release issued to the media Thursday.
The party has also accused the Border Roads Organization of using waste materials and discards removed from the roads to fill potholes along the stretch of Jarnapani road. The same ‘technique’ is being employed along the road from the Green park junction to jail road, the part alleged.
The BJP threw these allegations at the BRO in a statement received here today from the party’s spokesperson.
The people of Nagaland, the party explained, are “delighted to see the development of road taking place after a long gap”, but they do not see an quality in the results. “But at the same time is upset with the quality of the work,’ the BJP stated.
The BJP raised these questions to the Border Roads Organizations “for general consideration”. The political organization is wondering “why the thickness of the roads are not upgraded to 5- 6 inches, since the flow of traffic has enormously increased over the years. Is the department not monitoring the passenger car units? Since for the last 20 or more years the maintenance of road has being Rs 1.5 lakh per kilometres, why it is not been enhanced. Is it because of the in-sufficient labour force, Lack of machineries and money or due to non-availability of sufficient sand and stones, the BRO is unable to maintain quality road in Nagaland?”
“While appreciating the Border Road organization for commencing the resurfacing of the National Highway 29 (Dimapur-Kohima to Mao gate road), the party has lamented that quality road is hardly noticed. It is very disappointing to see that the wasted materials removed from the existing roads are being used for filling up the potholes at Jarnapani road,” the Nagaland unit of the national party stated in a statement issued through its spokesperson K James Vizo.
“And also from Green park junction to Jail road junction one can seen the wasted materials by the side of road,” the party added.
The BJP explained that passenger car units were 1000 to 2000 approximately in the later ‘90s, while the thickness of the road was three inches. “Those days only six wheel loaded trucks were on the road but today, with the improved socio-economic development of the state, 12 wheeled loaded trucks are also plying the road, for which the strength of the road has to be upgraded to withhold the weight,” the party reminded the BRO. “And more over the flow of vehicles has increased more than ten times, thus the thickness of the road needs to be upgraded to 5-6 inches.”
The BJP has stated that the people of the state ‘cannot be deprived for a long time.’ “The BRO needs to change its indifferent attitude to the roads of Nagaland and maintain its standard and vision of nation’s most reputed, multifaceted, transnational, modern construction organisation committed to meet the strategic needs of the roads of the country, playing a national role in the social economic development through its large scale contribution to infrastructure development.”
The BJP has appealed to the road construction company to speed up the work between Purana Bazar and Padamphukri road in Dimapur. The “drainage issue” should not be an excuse to delay the ongoing works of resurfacing such important NH which not only reflects the mirror of the State highway of Nagaland,” the party stated. “The people in general are facing lots of hardship due the deplorable road condition between the said stretch”.
The party also appealed to the road authorities in Nagaland to ‘check the BRO’ while implementing the works and at the same time coordinate with the department whenever necessary, “since BRO is the implementing agency and the state authority being the owner has every right to see that quality work is maintained as per the prescribed laid norms”.
