Viketo Nihokhe Sumi
Purana Bazar, Dimapur
It has been a couple of months since the completion of upgrading NH 29 that every people coming towards downtown Dimapur, approaching from Chümoükedima's direction have had to bear an avoidable traffic jams, borne from Naharbari junction. And sometimes the jam stretches for miles till 3rd Mile. This nuisance does not only inflict Padumpukhuri dwellers but everyone destined for downtown Dimapur.
Inhabitants of Padumpukhuri and its surrounding colonies who ply through main Padumpukhuri gate that lies along NH 29 shoulder, consists of more than five thousand households. If we add tenants, temporary dwellers' households, the number could more than double the original count. So imagine, since these days every household owes 2 to 3 automobiles, contemplate the number of vehicles that has to reach Naharbari U-turn, if they are headed for Padumpukhuri Gate, approaching from 3rd Mile siding.
To make a U-turn, vehicles almost come to a standstill position as the lanes are not wide enough, confining drivers to shift to the lowest gear. And for the universal sized buses and trucks, drivers have to apply their vehicles in reverse since 180° (one hundred and eighty degree) maneuver is impossible in a single attempt. You can deduce the duration it adds to jams just by one heavy vehicle to make a mere U-turn.
All of it could have been nipped in the bud by allowing vehicles to veer only half-a-segment of U-turn without needing to put their vehicles in reverse, and thereby reducing jams, had the entrusted officials been conscientious enough to account another crossroad at Padumpukhuri.
This is a menace founded by imprudent officials who blindly interprets exactly what is written in the Law and follows it exactly despite the negative effect it reflect.
Herein, I do not merely vocalize to instigate any concerned government officials to discard or break the rules through their sole authority but many a times, there arises a valid situation for the officials to amend certain rules with the consent from the upper echelon. We the public can only place our grievance to the locally deployed officials and it is an obligation for these official to pass these grievances to the higher chain-of-command for special deliberation, if it is beyond their allotted limitations. But unfortunately, we happen to have officials with concepts that laws the Legislative passes are inscribed on stones and, diligently, don't believe in Amendment even in special cases which is, indeed, the cornerstone of our Constitution.
Yes, National Highways regulations impose imperative outlines for the safety of drivers and passengers alike travelling at higher speed than State and Lower Highways. I comprehend that there has to be pre-requisite distance between the numbers of Highways' corridors and U-turns/Crossroads segments in NH, enabling drivers enough time and distance to slow down, inorder to prevent high speed mishaps and rear-ended wreck onto advanced vehicle decelerating to make a U-turn. But such deployed measures do not always assertively apply when NHs passes through massive inhabited urban locations. I am not merely stating but it's a fact that I have witnessed in other major cities in India.
This avertable menace of Traffic jams is getting on the last nerve of every drivers and passengers, which includes auto drivers from Padumpukhuri auto-stand. I believe that this particular issue had gone unresponsive from various officials repeatedly, although series of individuals and groups have pleaded.
Notwithstanding past pleas that yielded to nothingness, I plea to our current Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur, on behalf of all discontented Dimapurians who have to get stuck in this remediable jam, to kindly necessitate to remove portions of median divider to service a vehicular crossroad at Padumpukhuri Gate junction. Creating crossroad in this location is a necessity to reduce traffic jams which has become a constant occurrence.
I believe the DC/District Magistrate has discretionary power over ‘National Highways Authority of India’ when immediate remedial for crisis, arising at NHs set through populated towns is needed since it lies under his jurisdiction. And if my perception is misconstrued, I plea to you, nevertheless, to earnestly be decisive to initiate an amendment for the much needed crossroad.
I would also like to plea to our Dimapur Deputy Commissioner to kindly tour around our city during traffic peak hours and decree sanctions should he encounters hurdles that are accountable for creating more jams, of which Traffic Officials are devoid of authority to remove such impediments i.e. aside from directional traffic movement.
And, I would like to show my gratitude to our Deputy Commissioner through this article, if he'd included seldom tours in-and-around Dimapur during pinnacle hour of jams to witness if there's any contributions he could add, despite his unstoppable busy schedules.
I also plea to all outside private forces to kindly refrain from interfering when traffic police and administration initiate different measures as circumstances persuade. It is becoming more than impossible for our traffic police in Dimapur to maintain a smooth flow of traffic, with the ever-growing number of automobiles, even without the outside interference.
I'd like to finalize my thoughts by requesting our overburdened Dimapur Traffic Police to please accept my humble gratitude for their undying endeavors they carry to completion everyday.
