Chungtia village receives INR 90 lakh for road restoration

CHUNGTIA — Chungtia village in Mokokchung district has been granted INR 90 lakh under the "Other Road Fund 2025-26" (state allocation) to restore its damaged internal road network ahead of hosting the 70th Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM) general conference in January 2026.

The funding aims to address devastation caused by severe monsoon landslides and land sinks that disrupted connectivity and affected several families in the village.

The allocation was announced by Imkong L Imchen, MLA and advisor for Soil and Water Conservation and Information and Public Relations, during his tour of Chungtia and Aliba villages on Wednesday, which also included party meetings.

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Interacting with the media at Chungtia, Imchen recalled, "Last year, the Chungtia Planning Committee for AKM and village council members approached me. We met Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio in Dimapur, submitting a technical proposal alongside our appeal – "Unless you support us, we have no option."’

Imchen said Rio lent a patient ear and gave his nod. "We followed up relentlessly, and recently, the file was cleared from the government of India. The chief minister then allocated INR 90 lakhs," he said.

Calling it a "huge sum at this juncture", Imchen described the gesture as "an act of mercy from the chief minister" that provides the "required push" for Chungtia's connectivity revival. Imchen also shared his personal connection with Chungtia, stating, "My political career started here in 2003; it was my foundation, and it will end here."

Looking ahead to the upcoming elections, he said, "In the next election, I'll give a whole totality to Chungtia village. I am confident and will enthusiastically participate in the forthcoming elections."

In his interaction with the Chungtia Village Council, Imchen emphasised, "A true leader must grasp the village's situation and its people's pulse. He should win the heart and soul of the people by identifying the inherent interest and the wisdom of the village.”

He noted that 2026 would be an auspicious year for the village, with the AKM conference scheduled for January 13–15. However, during preparations, natural calamities struck, with devastating landslides crippling intra-village roads and affecting many families.

Regarding the fund's implementation, Imchen explained that the ongoing pen-down strike has delayed official expenditure sanctions. He said he requested the chief engineer, Public Works Department (PWD), to give a verbal go-ahead directive to the executive engineer, PWD (Road and Bridges) Division Mokokchung, to issue a "green signal" for the immediate commencement of work on the approach road to Longtsuktep.

 "The work will be executed directly by PWD (R&B), which would in return save 23 per cent on GST and other taxes," he said. He added that if the work were awarded to a contractor, taxes would be deducted from the allocated amount, leading to a valuable fund loss for the village. He also appealed to the council for "full support and judicious utilisation" to maximise impact.

Toshikba, executive engineer of PWD (R&B) Mokokchung Division, described the Other Road Fund as "unique and unavailable to most divisions" and said that Chungtia is fortunate "thanks to proactive pushes from our MLA”.

He assured that the division would commence work in full swing from November 5 onwards, even though expenditure sanction is yet to be released. The division, he said, would make all efforts to complete the project ahead of the AKM general conference.

In Aliba village, Imchen advised the council to "uphold council’s sanctity without external interference”. Responding to their list of infrastructure project requests, he said Icon projects under the Local Area Development Fund (LADF) has been earmarked for Longkhum and extended aid to Aliba’s initiatives.

The visit concluded with BJP party meetings in both villages. At Chungtia, Imchen urged the prompt formation of a local BJP unit following the unanimous election of its president to strengthen organisational footing ahead of key events.