Dr Asangba Tzudir
It has now become like a yearly romantic affair to do a cosmetic brush up of the roads to cover the potholes and welcome the Hornbill Festival. Once the repair wears off, it will have to wait for the next hornbill preparation. As such, the road repairs cannot be a part of the 'Hornbill festival preparation plan', and this calls for a proper road maintenance plan with a detailed framework so as to ensure timely repairs, before the roads forms into a huddle of potholes. Any further delay beyond the timely repair will only add to the cost of road repairs.
Roads being a lifeline for welfare and development, a road maintenance plan is very pertinent taking into consideration resources and scheduling of repairs. The maintenance plan should not actually depend on the availability of resources, but the required resources needs to be allocated since roads are of utmost priority. Timely road maintenance and repairs ensures roads remain safe, functional, and efficient while reducing long-term costs by way of preventative maintenance. Timely repairs also extend the lifespan of the roads.
Also, if roads are bad especially in areas that are busy or where traffic is heavy will only add to the traffic woes. Not only that, it also adds to the risks of accidents. There have been instances of road accidents while trying to avoid potholes. A proper road maintenance plan should have a routine schedule for daily or periodic tasks like cleaning drainage systems, patching potholes, and clearing debris. General public also need to shed the ‘khushi-khushi’ attitude, and this calls for showing care and concern for the well-being of everyone. Dumping of wastes leads to clogging of drains leading to overflowing of water on the roads which also deteriorate the roads. Also, keeping building and construction materials by the roadside only add to traffic congestion besides causing inconvenience.
It is not just the potholes but timely maintenance and repairs should include preventive measures like sealing the cracks, resurfacing, and shoulder repairs to prevent deterioration. The plan should also include repairs of damaged culverts or replacing bridges that have reached the end of their lifespan. Regular assessment is required to assess the condition of roads, the extent of damage or wear, and accordingly prioritise for repairs. This is where scheduling becomes very important which includes short term plan and needs to be done on a daily or weekly basis like pothole repairs and road cleaning. Medium term plan includes monthly or yearly resurfacing and rehabilitation projects, and then long term plans like major upgrades which includes widening highways or replacing aging infrastructure. Also, eco-friendly materials like recycled asphalt or plastic may be used having experimented earlier at a stretch in Dimapur.
Now there may be many reasons as to why most of the roads are brushed up only during the time leading to the Hornbill Festival. However, a lot depends on budgeting and resources allocation and which should not be based subject to availability of resources. Roads are a priority in any welfare plan and therefore adequate resources needs to be allocated to go beyond cosmetic repairs, and accordingly use government allocations, generate revenue, grants or even look at public-private partnerships.
Beyond the cosmetic repairs, there is a serious need for having a proper road maintenance plan and which needs regular review to see the plans’ efficacy. On the other side of repairs and maintenance plans there still are many ‘so called roads’ in Nagaland that are still waiting for the first blacktopping to happen.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir writes weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
