Thepfulhouvi Solo
The Villagers of Lungkhüm, from where the highly respected and revered NNC Vice-President late Mr. Imkongmeren hails, were very grateful to Mr. Neiphiu Rio Chief Minister of Nagaland for giving Fund to construct their Village Council Building.
The nearby biggest Ao Village of Ungma from where the former Maharashtra and Goa Governor Mr. SC. Jamir hails, must have been very pleased to Neiphiu Rio for donating a Sports Arena to the Village as a commemoration of the Friendship between Ungma and Tuophema Villages; the CM hails from the later.
The unconventional NBCC Convention Centre at New Secretariat Kohima built at the cost of some One thousand One hundred Lakhs Rupees, completed in record time of less than one year, was a show case of Nagaland. It was built by the Government of Nagaland for the good Naga Baptists whose Executive Secretary Dr. Anjou Phom was beside himself with happiness with the Government, many other good Baptists also felt it so.
One of the principal Policy aim of the East India Company in India was to create Respect and Honor around the Company Officers in the eye of the Natives and to that aim the Company constructed unnecessarily big pompous Buildings surrounded by vast Compounds with impressive manicured Lawns for their Officers in majestic colored Dress and Uniform.
The unnecessarily many roomed and costly and pompous Residential Building of the DGP Nagaland and the extravagant Chief Secretary Building at Kohima must have an Agenda in the Builders. The Chief Wildlife Warden Office Building at Dimapur costing many Crores of rupees and the mushrooming huge Building structures here and there in the Hillsides covering the landscape on the outskirts of expanding City of Kohima could have an Aim in the Planners. In terms of fund spent, it must have run into many, many, many Crores of Rupees. If the Aim is ‘Economic Development of the State’, then Sight of the Gun must have been mis-adjusted, it would not hit the target of Economic Progress of the State.
Estate Development for Economic Progress tops off after a limit and adds no further to the economic progress of the People. The vanishing dilapidated unoccupied tin roofed Assam-type bamboo split cement mortar plastered wall Houses and Buildings rotting and rusting and wasting here and there in Nagaland and Assam rural Areas, bear sufficient witness to the missed target of Economic Aims through Building Constructions.
Nagaland today looks like Herod the Great of the New Testament. He was a great builder of magnificent Palaces and Forts and Cities including the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem and the Masada Fort Israel’s Military has rebuilt again. Most of all of these are in ruins today. But the Roads that the Roman Empire built well before the birth of Jesus, across Asia and Europe provided the foundation of the Economic life of the people of those days including ours today, in addition, it facilitated the spread of the Christianity throughout the World.
Myanmar constructed a brand new Capital Naypyidaw in the remote Northern jungles with Gold plated record Pagodas Spires, reportedly with 24 lane Road, and a Hluttaw -Parliament Buildings, for 624 Members, most of who are Military Officers not conversant with such simple democratic terms like a ‘Motion’ or ‘Bill’, an ‘Act’ or ‘Law’ but interestingly a Legislative Body where the Military General President gave himself a Constitution which allows him the Power to Coup if he thinks it necessary!
And so let me try a New English Term advice: -‘Buy your Hat according to the circumference of your Head’.
Nagaland recently completed a 2nd Nagaland House in Kolkata at the cost of One thousand five hundred Lakhs Rupees; the Governor of Nagaland Nikhil Kumar inaugurated it. The occasion was attended by Diplomats of 6 Foreign Nations, State Representative of Sikkim, of Kashmir and included the Dignitaries of Kolkata.
Guwahati would very soon replace Kolkata as the Gate Way of the North East, in fact of India too, to the Tiger Economies of South East Asia. Already Guwahati is fast becoming the commercial Centre for the North East and almost anything posh or not available in Kolkata is now available in Guwahati.
You may pay for a commodity through your Laptop Computer today from your own House and if the Night Buses are not stopped by our Karbi or Ulfa or Naga National cottage Industrialist with this or that Bandh, by tomorrow the Package is there in Nagaland or Meghalaya or Manipur or Arunachal.
Guwahati will, within 10 years, if not much sooner, have its Airport upgraded to International level and North Easterners would be connected to all parts of the Globe by Air and India would be connected to China and the whole of the South East Asian Economic Tigers through Guwahati by the Ledo Road.
A One thousand five hundred Lakhs Rupees Nagaland House at Kolkata is nice and good for today but it would make not much dent in the Economig Progress of Nagaland in future. A Magnificent Nagaland House at Guwahati built today would be of great economic asset to Nagaland tomorrow, when Foreign dignitaries, Companies and their CEOs would come easily fast and negotiate Trade Agreements with Nagaland or other North Eastern States from Guwahati rather than Kolkata.
Blood Arteries and Veins carry Blood from the Heart and Lungs to all parts of the Body and keeps us alive; without the Arteries and the Vein our life cannot carry on. There can be no growth of the Body without Arteries and Veins carrying blood to all nooks and corners of the Body. There can be no Economic Growth of a People without Roads and there can be no Economic Progress in a State without Roads. Road touches all areas of the Economy of the State. It does not require a Noble Peace Winner for Economics like Amartya Sen to tell us this. It is so simple, even a mere layman understands it. But it requires the Political Will and a Chief Minister’s decision to prioritized Road Building over House Building to initiate the State on the Road to wealth.
Nagaland’s Citizens planted Rice in the Potholes of our Roads; Naga Hillman Veterinarians tried to seed Mahseer Fingerlings in the Pools of our Roads: let us tell our most excellent Chief Minister and our most honorable Ministers and our honorable MLAs to construct Roads in Nagaland: A world famous foreign Photographer, after a photographic tour of the State said: “there is no Road in Nagaland”.
