Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 12
People’s frustration over deteriorating roads in Dimapur is beginning to reach new heights.
On Saturday morning, a sight of tree saplings planted on the slushy and potholed road stretch of Purana Bazaar greeted Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and his entourage of legislators and PWD department officials, who, coincidentally landed in Dimapur to inspect the ongoing road repairing works in various part of Dimapur including the Purana Bazaar stretch.
A group of unidentified individuals, mostly youths, had planted the tree saplings in the middle of Purana Bazaar road stretch, which now resembles a river bed, to show resentment over the stark negligence of the State Government in maintaining the road.
“It’s a good demonstration of people’s anger,’’ commented a resident of Purana Bazaar of the potholes filled with plants which greeted the Chief Minister. An official from the CM’s entourage also reportedly wanted to know the identity of those who had taken up the initiative of the pothole plant demonstration form of protest just ahead of the CM’s visit.
“The suffering we have to endure everyday due to the bad roads every day is beyond frustrating,’’ a government teacher who had to commute from River belt colony to Naga United village lamented.
Except for the Dobhinullah-Signal-Thahekhu road and Dobhinullah-Midland -Dillai gate stretch, the rest of the roads in the main town square of the commercial hub and including the NH-29 road stretch up to 7th mile have deteriorated beyond imagination due to years of neglect.
On August 3, the Chief Minister had directed the concerned department to carry out “temporary immediate repair of roads” in Dimapur and Kohima. It could not be ascertained whether the term “temporary repair of roads” mean simply dumping stones, muds and gravel, or a makeover with a stick of bitumen.
