Kuzhovesa Soho
Phek | June 27
Kiphire citizens can now heave a sigh of relief as an alternative to the Meslumi–Chizami Bridge has now been constructed enabling passage of vehicles to and from the town. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner of Phek had, on several occasions, banned vehicles carrying more than 10 tonnes from traversing this bridge, fearing its collapse. The bridge, with its unstable foundation, has been in disrepair for years.
However, with the initiative of the Phek District Timber Association (PDTA), the bridge now has an alternative and vehicles, irrespective of the load carried, have been crossing over since the past week. In a short interaction with this Correspondent, PDTA president Sanyi Dukru said, “Since the bridge was too unstable to allow heavy vehicles carrying more than the specified weight as given in the order by the DC Phek, and with the subsequent pressure from different corners, without any help or source of income regarding this, the PDTA initiated the work and opted to dig an alternative line adjacent to the bridge. Indeed, we are happy that our plan has successfully worked out since the last few days.” It has been observed that a bulldozer along with manpower was deployed to the site in order to assist the situation.
However, lamented Dukru, despite selfless efforts given by the PDTA, till date the DC Phek has not endorsed us even to collect any kind of tax from the vehicles as a form of reimbursing our expenditures. The PDTA has also suggested that the administration, along with the concerned department, must find alternatives other than this route, explaining that the present crossing may not be appropriate when heavy rains occur which would definitely wipe away the present line over the stream.
Stating that initially the PDTA had received criticism for initiating the work, Dukru said that since it is not an individual matter, all likeminded citizens should join hands and work together. He further cited instances of some vehicles involved in accidents, especially the heavy loaded trucks, due to the unstable land on the road leading from Tsupfume to Chizami via Thetsumi. There have been around 5 accidents in the last 2 months, the PDTA president said, and added it is, therefore, everyone’s responsibility to find ways and means to avoid such incidents in the future.
When contacted, the Kiphire Town Council (KTC) expressed its belief that “the situation normalised” as soon as an alternative road was opened up by the PDTA. “Now, the crisis of lack of commodities has come down to normal as of now,” said Joshua, the KTC chairperson. The Kiphire Town Council has, in the past, made statements regarding the untold problems faced by the people of Kiphire due to non-availability of essential commodities following the road blockade because of the rundown bridge.
The president of the Phek District Voluntarily Consumer Organization (PDVCO), Vekhoneyi Venuh, while talking to this Correspondent over the phone disclosed that the problems faced by both the dealers and the consumers have come to “a normal situation” right after the PDTA initiated the work, enabling vehicles, specially those carrying essential commodities, to reach the district headquarter town. Lauding the efforts of the PDTA, Venuh appealed to every individual to render cooperation as and when any group or organisation initiates such community based efforts with their own means.
