Villagers start crowd-funding campaign to build bridge across Dikhu

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 26 (EMN): Eight years of inactivity, after laying the ‘foundation stone’ for construction of a 40m RCC bridge over Dikhu River along the Longleng-Chuchuyimlang-Mokokchung road, has prompted the people of the area to initiate a crowd-funding campaign to build the bridge themselves.

On December 8, 2012, the then PWD (R&B) minister, G Kaito Aye had, ‘laid the foundation stone’, in the presence of the then parliamentary secretary for RD and REPA, S Pangnyu Phom. Both the legislators are cabinet ministers in the present government.

Since then, the residents of two villages in the area— Pongching and Mongtikong—have been making do with the temporary wooden bridge they could build in order to travel across the river.

Now, the locals have formed a committee to oversee the construction of a wooden bridge through crowd-funding.

The convenor of the committee, , Kongba Chungphang, told Eastern Mirror over the phone on Saturday that they are determined to start the construction of the bridge, through donations, from November this year.

He explained that the water level of the river decreases in November every year. Annually, he said, the water level rises during April-May, which results in the bridge being washed away.

According to him, all these years, the state government has ‘ignored the project although the route is important for the people’, which connects not only the villages of Longleng district with Mokokchung but also parts of Mon and Tuensang.

The alternative route, he said, would take three hours to reach Changtongya via Longleng-Changtongya highway in Mokokchung district.

“If the government fails on its part to construct the bridge, we the public have decided to go on our own with the support of well-wishers; and we want to let the government realise that this bridge is very important for the people in the area,” said the convenor.

He stated that the committee does not have the resources but have resolved to build a timber bridge that would enable the people to ply through the route even during the summer (rainy) seasons “for many years”.

“The yearning for a bridge is high among the Phom people as it would save time and resources while travelling, besides easing the office goers and those on medical emergencies. It has been so many years that we have been ignored and so we have decided to start the work,” he said.

Chungphang maintained that the ‘negligence by the government is best known to them and because of so many political reasons, the project has been ignored; and we are now going on our own’.

According to him, the Phom People’s Council, the Phom Students’ Conference, Hoichemla, and other community organisations are supporting the initiative for the construction of the bridge.