Our Bureau
KOHIMA, AUGUST 12
HUNDREDS of people, including students from six institutions and teachers, using the abandoned National Highway-29 from Tinpatti to DBS and ahead today took to the streets protesting rally against BRO/15BRTF for abandoning the NH-29 for more than a decade.
The procession started from DBHSS junction and marched towards High school junction and then headed inside the 15-BRTF camp after which a public rally was held at High School junction.
The rallyists carried banners some of which read “Awakening NH-29: The forgotten & abandoned road (A people’s movement against BRO/15 BRTF)” while placards read “If you cannot start repairing the abandoned border roads leave Nagaland”, “We want education but your border road is a stumbling block”, “Make road instead of river”, “BRO…. we don’t have a road to our school”, “We ply only through a mighty drain”, “Make road instead of river”, “BRO/15BRTF is 20+ years not enough for you to start proper repair works?”, “DBHSS road or Doyang river”, “15 BRTF – change your mind for the betterment”, “ good road save time”, “NH-29 shows BRO corruption”.
Representatives from various organizations including Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, TM School, Mount Harmon School, Kohima College, Christ King School and NRBPS (Hindi Institute) and members from various NGOs and local people participated in the rally.
They have demanded the administration to take strong note of the deplorable condition of the abandoned road.
Later, a public meeting was held at High School junction wherein representatives of various schools and common people strongly condemned the pathetic road conditions.
“The road has gone from bad to worse….I have travelled this road since Class-A and I cannot recall a time when this road was good,” says a higher secondary student who commutes on the DBS Road to his school.
“This road has been neglected by the authorities for years now and calling it deplorable will be too kind…it does not even look like a road,” says a businessman who takes the same road daily to his work.
Although the people’s ire on the authorities for not doing necessary maintenance works on the road was present, no untoward happening was reported and the rally was conducted peacefully.
The students complained that the road is so pathetic that many a time they fall down, cars splash their uniform with muddy water, due to dusty road during winter many students become sore throat, cough.’
Meanwhile, mention may be made here that L. Khel and P. Khel Youth organizations of Kohima village had served ultimatum to BRO/BRTF on July 23 to repair the road from Pezielietsie (Tinpati) to BSF camp on or before August 31 failing which they threatened to impose total ban on movement of BRO/BRTF vehicles and personnel along the said border road and all other alternative roads used by them.
KVYO members said at one point of time, the youth organisations assisted BRO/BRTF in widening of the road which involved dismantling of encroaching structures along the road and forceful digging of private land. Despite such contributions, BRO/BRTF has not acknowledged the organisations, yet continued to furnish trivial reasons for their failure to initiate maintenance or repair works.
