NH-36: Manipur, Nagaland’s lifeline in Diphu in deplorable condition

Our Correspondent Diphu, Jan. 12 (EMN): One should be very careful when travelling along the National Highway-36 between Manja to Lahorijan because of its dilapidated condition. The interstate border of Karbi Anglong and Nagaland which seems to have worsened over the years are now filled with potholes. The road is said to be the main lifeline for Nagaland and Manipur states. It was learnt that for many years no repair works were undertaken by the highway authorities. A travel agency in Diphu informed this Eastern Mirror correspondent that none of the private bus owners were willing to run their buses from Diphu to Dimapur because of the dusty and potholed roads. There are few buses running from Manja to Dimapur. Earlier, it took approximately one and a half hour to reach Dimapur. Presently the journey seems to take more than two hours to reach the destination. The distance is just 62 kms from Diphu to Dimapur, the agency added. Various social organisations from Karbi Anglong including the Karbi Students Association (KSA) in the recent past have protested the dilapidated condition of the national highways. It was in the month of Sept. 2017 when the KSA submitted a memorandum to the minister for Roads Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkhari and Assam’s minister of Transport Mohan Chandra Patowary concerning the issue. KSA’s President Simion Rongphar told the Eastern Mirror that the organisation will soon launch agitations to protest the failure of the authorities (in addressing the matter). He blamed the local authorities for the ‘facewashed’ road during the recent visit of governor of Assam Prof. Jagdish Mukhi to Karbi Anglong district. During his visit the roads were repaired only for the time being in order to ‘hide their real faces,’ Rongphar alleged.