Suraj Pokharel
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 9
Awfully craggy and bumpy is the Dhobinala-Signal-Thahekhu stretch that has been left unattended for quite a long period of neglect by the State government and with this monsoon, truckers are seen struggling to pull their vehicles out of the muddy ruts.
Commuters who take this route everyday encounter traffic chaos.
The potholes all along the roads especially near Suburban Police Station are innumerable and one could see atleast three to four heavy vehicles loaded with goods get hold up for hours every day.
The Dhobinala-Signal-Thahekhu stretch which was once black topped is now completely deteriorated. It is an isolated nightmare for the commuters who use the road daily. Despite repeated assurances from the State government to repair, the condition of the road continues to remain pathetic.
It may be mentioned here that the government had given assurance to construct the road soon after 2015-16 budget session, which ended on July 27 this year. Earlier, Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising 13 villages and colonies- Rio Colony, Metha Colony, Sema Tilla, Xuvihe Colony, Kevija-U village, Viola Colony, Signal Angami village, Signal Colony, Sangtam Tilla, Thahekhu village, Lhomithi village, Naga Gaon and Y. Zhimo Colony - was given assurance by the State government to look into the matter within one month.
The fifteen-day media campaign against bad roads, launched on July 8, 2015 by Finger Print, a designing and event management, is yet to see the light. The verbal confirmation was given by the R&B Minister Y.Vikheho at his official residence in Kohima to the Finger Print officials.
During a meeting, Principal Secretary and Finance Commissioner Temjen Toy was presented with 10,000 appeal letters signed by the residents of the affected areas.
The series of Finger Print campaigns highlighted the ill effects of bad roads economically and health-wise through local media, flyers, and flex banners in and around Dimapur.
The Finger Print team also launched the media campaign under the theme, “Sharing ideas for better future,” after finding facts and figures on the cost and time spent by every commuter. The survey carried out by the team says, due to bad road, approximately Rs.1, 20, 00,000 is spent annually for fuel and maintenance by 2000 vehicle owners. The estimates are based on the inputs provided by private vehicles, Autos, garages, tyre shop owners, etc. Fingerprint along with media houses-- Nagaland Post, Morung Express and Eastern Mirror- had campaigned for 15 days.
During this campaign media houses have sacrificed huge sum of revenue in advertisement just for the sake of witnessing a better and favorable roads for the commuters.
The number of trucks and other light vehicles plying on this road is in high numbers as it is home to MARCOFED, Sub-Urban Police Station, ACP Office, Nagaland Pollution Control Board, FCI Depot, Indian Oil Depot, Army Supply Depot followed by various schools and colleges.
The road also links Nagaland Zoological Park, Nagaland Cricket Stadium, Green Park, Ganeshnagar, Airport and Kohima-Imphal Road, Dhansiri-Doyapur Road, Diphu-Lumding Silchar Road.
It may be worth mentioning that parking lots for local and inter-state heavy vehicles are also situated at Kevija colony, IOC depot, FCI depot and near Sub-Urban Police.
Suffering public who depend only on auto rickshaws for works are often caught up in situation of paying more fares while most of the auto drivers refused to ride in the area.
In order to inquire about the time-frame from the government for the restoration of Signal road, the local MLA Tovihoto Ayemi, could not be contacted by Eastern Mirror even after repeatedly trying for the past two days.
