Random Shot: From Pathetic Road Condition to Agitation in Nagaland

1.  Most Nagas know the pathetic conditions of road in Nagaland. Significantly, the potholes dominate the road where there is no landslide. Where there is no potholes, random speed breakers are laid without road signage to show there is breaker ahead. This is an outright rejection of right to good road and safety of the drivers. Speed breakers are abnormally angular in shape having paramedic shapes laid in slanting direction to the road, causing the vehicle to jump four times symmetrical to the wheel of the vehicles. It is not only detrimental to the vehicles but also aggravating to the patients of the vehicle, and more hurting to the elderly people.

Most of the roads in Nagaland compromise the technical specifications especially on the curve of the road. The most important portion where super elevation formulae are completely ignored, creating unsafe for commuters.

It is also seen in most of the surfacing works that instead of leveling the road or slightly raising the middle portion of the road, random depression used to be created, which collect water throughout rainy season, a ploy to damage the road, probably to get next work orders year by year.

The Dimapur–Kohima 74 km four-lane road, unfinished ever-ongoing construction, is going to complete a decade. This road construction programme was announced by the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003 in his speech at Indira Gandhi Stadium Kohima. The PM was supposed to travel by a chopper because of his physical health, but by the divine providence, he was advised to travel by road because of foggy weather condition. Had the PM travelled by copper on that day, who knows, we would never get this road started by now. On seeing the river like condition of the National Highway-29, he must have been hurt physically and emotionally, compelling him to announce the package of his visit. It is pitiful, the Nagas are still struggling to complete even after a lapse of 22 years since the announcement of the package.

2. Regarding the recent agitation of the medical students against the regularisation of COVID-time appointees, there is an obvious reason to ponder.

During COVID pandemic, everybody was in panic and emotionally down. The survival was at stake; our economy was down; and many people were doubtful of getting their two meals in a day. Thank God, many rich and well-to-do people shared their resources. Offices were virtually closed and save exigencies, people were restrained to come to office. In the midst of it, I happened to be a civil society leader and I have to approach Medical department for posting of at least one Medical Officer as there was only one Medical Officer at my area CHC. Frantically, I was requesting the department to deploy one doctor. Truthfully, one of the secretaries told me that the department was in acute shortage of doctors, and asked me if there is any unemployed doctor, (saying that) the government is ready to appoint and place the posting to my area. From then I could not pressurise the department to consider posting of a doctor. Moreover, there was no doctor of my tribe searching for a job. Such was the situation during COVID pandemic time.

Three and half years have lapsed, and every year many are graduating and there may be unemployed problem now. Naturally, doctors who were in the practical job for several years to compete with the fresh graduate for regularisation should be given appropriate rational guidance in the context of risk involved at the time when the WHO announced the COVID was a pandemic.  “A war soldier does not deserve outright rejection.”

3. The government of the present day may be critical about the RMSA teacher’s appointment in 2016. There is always some linkages between village recognition and establishment of schools. Every small settlement wants their village to be recognised as it entails many benefits and school is one of them. We knew once the village is recognised by the government, it’s not the end but it opens many ways for the villagers to come forward to pressurize the political boss for school and medical facilities etc. In this case, our political vision is so short-sighted that it cannot peep through sustainability perspective. Forgoing the many entailing problems and prosperity in the near future, I want to say very briefly that once a student is given admission, and so long students are in the classroom, co-termination of teacher on the basis of the term of the plan programme may be termed as irrational and it may amount to co-termination of student (co-terminus), which should never be allowed to happen in any state in the country.

4.  While summing up, we all knew and have observed that the year 2024 and 2025 are marred by social unrest everywhere. It appears that the younger generation is disgruntled with the lack of improvement and moral decadence, be it in the government, social organisation, church organisation, political organisation etc. We have seen organised crime and corruption, everywhere, today. The one and only question I want to put here is: IS THERE NO NAGA TODAY WHO HAS DETERMINATION TO RESCUE NAGAS?

Pollem Tep Rengma

Ease of living activist