DIMAPUR, JUNE 25 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho today insisted that the National Highway 2 passing through Wokha Town be upgraded to a full carriageway.
A press note from Lotha Hoho Chairman, Mhondamo Ovung and General Secretary, S Abenthung Ngullie said that, reportedly, “in order to avoid payment of compensation for land and standing structures, the NH authorities are contemplating to forgo land acquisition within Wokha town and hence to take the existing carriageway as the NH Carriageway, without widening.”
“The stipulated carriageway is given as 8.50 meters (28 feet) and hence formation width is carriageway plus the shoulders on both sides and the drain,” it said.
It maintained that the people of Wokha District in general and those of Wokha town in particular have been eagerly waiting for the up gradation to a standard carriageway for the NH through the town. The Lotha Hoho pointed out that traffic congestion in the town is acute and find a parking place within the town “is a rare commodity.” It added that after a few years the traffic congestion problem is going to be unmanageable because the number of vehicles increasing at an alarming rate.
The Lotha Hoho informed that the Tender for the NH2 road project from 82 km to 101 km is being called and work is to be allotted soon. However, it observed that the road section from 72 km to 82 km has been left out “because of the non settlement of land and structures compensation issue.”
It however stated that the Lotha Hoho is “not aware of any land owner who has objected to land acquisition for the road project and hence it is not understood as to why land acquisition should become an issue.” “If the question is the amount of fund required, for compensation, the Lotha organisations would take it as a discrimination since any development is for the benefit of the people and not for fund saving or economic viability,” it added.
The Lotha Hoho meanwhile stated that “all those who need to give land or standing structures, to enable the widening of the roadway, have already signed affidavits of their willingness to allow their land/ structures to be used for widening the roadway for a full NH carriageway.”
These affidavits are with the concerned authority, it informed, adding that the Lotha Hoho, the people of Wokha Town as well as the concerned land-owning villages are also willing to give full cooperation and support to the authorities for the widening of the roadway to a full NH standard; if not wider.
“Any unreasonable or irrelevant claims by any land or structure owner will be amicably settled with the help of the Lotha Hoho and the concerned village authorities. Hence the NH authorities are urged not to forgo the widening of the NH 2 roadway within Wokha town,” it appealed.
It further made clear that the Lotha organisations support the view of the Wokha Village Council that the tender rate should not be allowed below the scheduled rates since such low tender rates hamper work quality and deprive genuine tenders who are willing to execute quality work.
.JPG)
