Road woes: Zeliang seeks to expose 'those responsible'

Staff Reporter Dimapur, Sep. 16 (EMN): Anguished at all the blame being heaped on him for ‘wrong reasons’ happening in the state, particularly on the road sector, Chief Minister TR Zeliang has informed about what he suggested will be a 'consultative meeting' in the month of October with stakeholders from all the districts to let the people 'decide who is responsible for the prevailing situation.' Interacting with media persons after inspecting the hanging bridge at Diphupar village, and a bamboo bridge at Eralibill village in Dimapur this afternoon, Zeliang said a consultative event is being proposed during which departments particularly the Roads and Bridges, Works and Housing, National Highway, Mechanical Engineering, Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority, National Highways, and the Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. and the Border Roads Organisation will highlight details of their respective project being implemented in the state. Zeliang said that during the consultative meeting all the stakeholders including tribal hohos, NGOs and engineers from every district will be invited to present their views. Stating that good roads are vital for economic growth and development, Zeliang was of the view that the public should not only criticise but also contribute constructive suggestions in order to curb corruption and initiate corrective measures. He said in this regard that new concrete bridges across Chathe River at Diphupar, and Dhansiri River at Nagarjan will begin in the coming weeks. He informed that the contractors have committed to commence the work from next week. He added that all the needed machinery is already in place. It may be mentioned here that the hanging bridge at Diphupar village connecting to Niuland sub-division, and the bamboo footbridge at Eralibill village were constructed from funds allocated by the National Disaster Response Force with a total amount of Rs 11 lakh. With the work projects already at hand, Zeliang was also hopeful that traffic congestions in Dimapur and Kohima towns would be resolved within two to three years.