‘Purana Bazaar to Chumoukedima’ councils pledge support to four-lane project

Eastern Mirror Desk

Dimapur, May 7: A consultative meeting of the village council chairman and head GBs of all villages along NH-29 from Purana Bazaar to Chumoukedima stretch was held along with district administration on May 7 at Chumoukedima Town Council Hall to deliberate over the issues related to the four-lane construction project and claims of land compensation along the NH-29 (Purana Bazaar to Chumoukedima) by “NH-29 Land Owner Union.”

This was stated in a press release from the Extra Assistant Commisioner (EAC) Chumukedima, Thejavizo Nakhro.

Nakhro told Eastern Mirror that work along some pockets of said stretch along the highway has been stopped by the “landowner’s union” for which the following resolutions were unanimously adopted in the meeting held on Tuesday.

As per the press statement from the EAC, “the house strongly reaffirms the resolution adopted on July 20, 2018 at DC’s conference hall where the village authorities along the NH-29 assured full co-operation to the government for timely completion of the four lane project.

“The house has resolved not to allow any obstruction of four lane construction work by any individual or group for the reason of claiming land compensation or any other related issues. In reference to government Orders dated August 3, 1992, July 1993 and February 9, 2000.”

It further stated that the present four-lane road construction is within the purview of the road reservation (ROW) and hence, the question of land compensation does not arise.

The representatives from the village council, chairman and administration have appealed to the contractor of NH 29 four-lane project (Purana Bazaar to Chumoukedima) to strictly adhere to the specifications of the DPR and ensure quality work.

Further, it appealed to the contractor concerned to address the issue of safety in construction of roads and drainages, and to speed up construction works for timely completion of the project.

“We talk about development all the time and now our dream project is here but because of all these issues, completion takes longer,” said Nakhro.

He further affirmed that they were not there to victimise “certain genuine group or person” but to prioritise the “greater interest of the general public.”

Earlier in a press release issued on May 4, the “NH-29 Land Owners Union” expressed discontent over the land compensation against the ongoing four-lane construction from Purana Bazaar to Chumoukedima whereby a memorandum was submitted to the DC.

In its memorandum, the union stated that constructing the road “by ignoring the rights and interest of the land owners is not justified” and went on to claim that many commercial buildings have been demolished despite a standing order from the High Court. It went on to warn that it “may be compelled to take its own course of action to safeguard the inalienable right of the land owners.’

The union had also given 15 days’ time to the state government, through the memorandum, to respond to the matter, saying that the success of the project will “solely depend” on the response.

However, a reliable source told Eastern Mirror that reservations were made for the government to build the four-lane road but people started building houses and fences.

“It is more like an encroacher union, when the government has specified certain distance to be cleared off from both sides of the road,” quipped the source.

It may be mentioned that as per a government order last year, a total of 13.5 metres each on both sides of the road needs to be cleared for road construction.