Lipichem
Kiphire | August 10
Whether to reach home or to end up spending the night on the highway, the activity of pushing vehicles and digging up roads has become a concern for Kiphire citizens and vehicles plying on National Highway -155. The extent of negligence for the highways is much and this road is one of the longest in the state. However, the national highway is almost turning into a foot-path due to constant washing-off by monsoon and neglect.
Talking over the phone, the Deputy Commissioner of Kiphire said, “NH-155 is in pitiable condition and the work has also been stopped since May this year for reasons not known. I am also not apprised of the progress of the road” he said. Commenting over the ‘workmanship,’ the deputy commissioner said it is not satisfactory especially in the town areas. If the department deploys technical staff to assist, the quality of work could improve, he said. ‘Otherwise the present workmanship is questionable’ he said, adding ‘poor maintenance of NH-155 is mainly due to non-availability of NPWD officer in the district.’
Also, concerned over the incomplete Thsingaki Bridge, the deputy commissioner said it could hamper the proposed state road show for the district. The road show is to be held September 2-3. The DC requested the BRO and the National Highway division for its early completion. A councilor of Kiphire town council commented that the highway is the “only road to connect Kiphire district to that of others but it has been neglected for long and in this condition I don’t know how we are going to host a road show.”
Commenting over the ‘workmanship’ of the contractors, the councilor said “although we are not technical experts, by observation the work is not satisfactory especially in the town areas.” The condition of the highway is becoming worse each passing day, he said. He will not be surprised if there is no road left after few months, the councilor remarked.
About driving on National Highway-155, a driver of the Nagaland State Transport department commented: ‘No private buses other than NST will ply on this road, which is almost becoming a stream as there are no drainages.’ On a lighter side, he commented that driving on NH-155 is like going over a “pani kheti” (planted paddy field). “For almost every day we end up digging the road in order to reach home,” he said.
Senior citizens commented that even a few days back, a seminar was held for improving communications like roads as well as discussed vital developmental activities for the remotest districts in the state, such as Kiphire. But most of the ‘visions’ and promises remain only on paper and will hardly reach us, the citizens said. Another added, ‘who would ever love to listen to the tales of the suffering of the people in this region?’
It may be mentioned that the Nagaland PWD assured the people in this region quality service if the highway was handed over to them by the BRO. The people in the region doubted the NPWD, and their doubts have been proven true and have become reality. The promise made by government to deploy staff and officers to Kiphire to assist national highway works is still on paper.
Mention may be made that a few days back, Kiphire-bound trucks loaded with goods met with an accident due to the bad condition of NH-155. The accident caused huge losses amounting to more than Rs. 10 lakhs.
