A portion of state highway between Tamlu and Bura Namsang under Longleng district, of the 105 km road connecting Merangkong NH-2 (erstwhile NH-61) from Mon via bypass Namsang and Tamlu which was built in nineties is abandoned. In this image, the road looks more like a brook. We see intersection of water flowing in a line along the narrow road, and the flooded stream crossing downward. Surface blacktop has been replaced by puddle. Most of the culverts and hume pipes are gone. Bridges are on the verge of collapse.
Earlier, passenger taxis and buses moved between Mon and Mokokchung through this road. This saved fuel cost and time by 25-30%, and the villages/towns which fall along this highway had also been benefited in one way or the other. There was public transport (NST) from Namsang to Dimapur/ Longleng travelling alternately but these public transport services and passenger vehicles have ceased to travel through dilapidated state road.
Our economic development depends on road infrastructure as lack of proper roads has hampered our economic growth. With the present deplorable road conditions local products and agricultural crops can’t be transported nor import essential commodities from other places. During monsoon people are facing impossibilities to bring subsidized food grains under PDS and other benefits given by the government. The village authorities are given effort in building temporary bridges, filling earth, stones in the road and clear landslides which are triggered from time to time, but, due to financial constraint they are unable to put in place a long sustainable road. As such government authorities have been silent over the plight of people living in the absence of road connectivity. Had the state government been invested for road construction and maintained existing roads as they have given importance to festivals every year, the road conditions would not have gone worse as of today in Nagaland.
This particular road has been included in 2 lane project with other districts in Nagaland initiated under the banner of the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in North East (SARDP-NE) however controversy over irregularities in the implementation have led to pending of execution.
Consequently, following the complaints over bad roads from various sections; and realising road is part of state assets, the state government has proposed to undertake various road projects in Nagaland. Hope this particular road stretching 105 km is priority in the proposed programme for up gradation of road. Hope commencement of work will soon start without delay; and unaccountability, irregularities in the implementation as was happening in the previous SARDP-NE project should not be repeated again.
Bausha (Paüwüng)
Longleng
