Nagaland: Tizit CSOs call off indefinite bandh

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Aug. 1 (EMN): The Tizit civil society organizations (CSOs) temporarily called off the second phase of its agitation — indefinite bandh — on Monday morning as construction of the N-M Road (NH-702) has resumed under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL).

The Tizit civil society organisations had called a 12-hour ‘chaka bandh’ on July 30 on N-M road (Namtola-Mon) in the first phase of agitation over non-compliance of its demand to resume repairing work of the said road.

The Konyak Union Tizit unit and TASU had earlier decided to resume the second phase of agitation with an indefinite bandh as the contractor had failed to begin repairing the 44km road.

However, the general secretary of TASU informed Eastern Mirror that the second phase of agitation was cancelled on Monday morning after the workers were seen bringing the machinery and preparing to resume the repairing work.

The work was supposed to be completed before Aoleang Festival 2022, which began on April 1 but the work could not be resumed due to ‘less manpower and machineries’, as per the account of the contractor and the workers. 

“The work was assured to be resumed and to be completed within six months but that did not work out as well. Even after the request of the Tizit civil society organisations to make the road at least motorable, it did not materialise. Only after the first phase of agitation and when the organisations were prepared for the second phase of agitation that the workers were getting prepared in the wee hour of Monday,” the TASU official said.

‘Although the road cannot be fully repaired with black topping, it was assured that it will be repaired (motorable); and because of this assurance and resumption of work, the second phase of agitation was cancelled,’ he added.  

Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday, the Tizit civil society organisations informed that the concerned contractor had complied with the demand made by the CSOs and had resumed the work along the NH-702.

‘In view of the assurance made by the contractor, the Konyak Union (Tizit unit) and the Tizit Area Students’ Union have decided to temporarily lift the second phase of agitation with immediate effect until the work is completed as per the DPR,’ it stated.

It further said that the KU (Tizit unit) and TASU extended gratitude to various civil organisations of Tizit jurisdiction and across Mon district for co-operating and supporting the first and second phases of agitation called by the Tizit CSOs.