Completion of road repairs hopefully by year end

Supu Jamir calls for reining in private money lending

Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 28

The citizens must be wondering what happened to the frenzied works that gripped Dimapur at the start of the year to patch up roads within the urban sprawl. The works were all part of a broader plan dubbed ‘Improvement of Dimapur City Roads’ announced by the NDPP-led PDA government in 2018. Public advertisements inviting bids to take up projects to repair 25 roads, including drainage, totaling 34km was floated by the PWD (Roads & Bridges) in September, 2018. 

With a targeted completion timeframe of 12 months, the works set rolling by the start of the year. Almost 10 months on, most of the works remain incomplete. 

However, if a former electoral hopeful from Dimapur is to be believed, the road repairs would see completion by the end of the year. 

Replying to a query of The Morung Express on the sideline of a dedication programme of the NDPP’s 2 Dimapur II office in the Naga Shopping Arcade (Super Market), Supu Jamir said that the repair initiative is not dead yet.  Jamir had unsuccessfully contested as an NDPP candidate from 2 Dimapur II Assembly Constituency in the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly elections 2018.

He said, “The works were temporarily suspended because of the rains” and it would resume as the monsoon retreats. He informed that “carpeting” or tarring will follow as planned and hopefully complete by November-December. 

In February this year, it was informed at a coordination meeting with PWD (R&B) officials, contractors and representatives of colony councils that a 1.55km road segment partially falling under DMC Wards 13 and 14 was expecting completion by March-end. The completion date was not met. 

Earlier, speaking at the office dedication programme, Jamir called for building stronger intra-party relationship to sustain the growth of the NDDP. The office of the 2 Dimapur II unit of the NDPP, earlier located at Duncan Basti, has now been relocated to the Naga Shopping Arcade. 

Terming the NDPP as a growing “infant,” Jamir held that it would not be fair on the part of the workers to expect personal benefits at such a stage. On the other hand, he said that it is the workers, who should “feed” and sustain the party for the common good. 

As a lawyer, social activist and politician, Jamir further expressed concern over private money lending thriving in Nagaland unregulated despite enacting the Nagaland Money Lenders Act 2005. While stating that private money lending at exorbitant interest rates have destroyed many a family, he called for implementation of the Act in letter and spirit.