Govt fails to repair road; Mokokchung residents take up the task on their own

Morung Express News
Mokokchung | April 17  

When the government is not in a position to repair the debilitated road in your locality, what would you do – curse your fate or do something about it? Residents of lower Alempang Ward in Mokokchung Town after realizing that there is “no hope” at all for the government repairing the main road in their locality decided to patch the road themselves.  

“There is no hope at all that the government will come and repair this road in the foreseeable future. So we decided to repair the road ourselves. We have not approached the government; we are not expecting anything from the government. We will do it ourselves,” declared Imkongsashi Longkumer, a resident of the locality and a youth activist.  

The locality is situated below Ladybird School at Alempang Ward and is comprised of about 280 households. The residents, initiated by the youths of the locality, called for a general meeting of the locality on April 1 last and resolved to take up the task by themselves. They resolved to collect Rs.500 and Rs.200 per four-wheel and two-wheel motor vehicle owners respectively as contribution. They also appointed an eight member committee to look after the road repairing works, all of whom are young residents of the locality.  

Apart from the prescribed contribution, the committee accepts contributions from well wishers as well. They have so far collected more than Rs.60,000/- from 55 four-wheel owners and 27 two-wheel owners, including some other well wishers. The “estimated” cost of the whole “project” is Rs.85,000/- and the total length of the road under the “project” is 85 meters as divulged by Imkongsashi Longkumer, convener of the committee. “The actual cost might exceed our estimated cost as we did not include the drainage making cost in our initial estimate. Nevertheless, we’re going to make the drainage as well,” said the convener.  

The said road was last repaired 13 years ago. “Eight barrels of bitumen should suffice but it costs about Rs.8000 per barrel,” the convener estimated. The total estimated cost of patching the 85-meter road is not inclusive of labour costs as the residents themselves are volunteering. Works on the ground began on April 6 and soling and drainage works have already been completed. They are expecting to complete the patching works within this month itself.