Roads, cohesion and integration
Along Longkumer
Consulting Editor
The State government has pushed the case for improving road connectivity across Nagaland during the recent high level meeting to finalize the Annual Plan Outlay between the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Dr.Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The Chief Minister placed before the Planning Commission the need for a “4 Lane Iconic highway” from Tizit-Dimapur-Jalukie-Khelma and the Trans-Nagaland Frontier Highway from Mon to Avankhung. Mr Rio has argued his case before the Planning Commission that these roads may be considered as “Iconic projects” for the State during the 12th Plan and to take them up as “National Projects”. The proposal of the State government to develop the road sector and put before the authorities in Delhi comes against the backdrop of appeal made for construction of the Foothill Road from Dimapur to Tizit, which will traverse through Wokha, Mokokchung, Longleng before entering Mon district. There is now overwhelming public support to build this road at the earliest and the governments both in the State and the Centre should do the needful to make the Foothill Road a reality. As rightly mentioned by the AoSensoTelongjemDimapur (ASTD), this road has been gathering dust for the last forty years and it is only fitting that as Nagaland celebrates 50 years of Statehood, the Foothill Road will be a gift to the people. It will bring immense socio-economic benefits to the Naga people as a whole. Besides, this particular road has the potential to connect people across districts, tribes and also provide the much needed access to the unreached backward regions, especially in far flung regions of say Peren, Mon and Longleng.
At a time when Nagas are talking about unity, peaceful co-existence, integration and a shared future perhaps it will be good for us to reflect on the importance of roads, not just as an economic asset but as an instrument of social cohesion. Roads in this broader sense should be seen as a means to maximize both economic and social benefits. In fact roads are considered basic for all-round socio-economic development and their importance has been well emphasized in various policy documents. Therefore, while the benefit of good roads and the network it creates is well known to all, yet it would seem that we as a people seem to have underestimated the real value of roads per se. Otherwise, why have we remained silent all these years despite the poor road condition across our State. A more conscious effort to develop the road sector would have allowed a more vibrant trade among the local communities leading to better standard of living besides off course connecting people and bringing us closer together. And also unlike some development works, whose benefits may accrue to a particular section, building of roads will benefit the whole of society.
As someone has said, roads are at the heart of society. Road is far more than just a mere question of transportation. It should be seen as contributing towards nation building at least in the context of the Nagas, divided as we are by harsh terrain and geography. In fact the 4 Lane Iconic Highway (Foothill Road) that the present State government is proposing has the potential to integrate Naga inhabited areas beyond Nagaland State in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and even Myanmar. This is something that can be taken up at a later stage. Better connectivity through roads can lead to developing cultural exchanges and people to people contact among the different Naga tribes. This will help in building bridges of friendship and solidarity amongst the people. So it’s time to start focusing on building a good network of roads across the State. Roads are assets of national importance and every effort must be made to treat them as Iconic projects.
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