Student unions oppose proposed diversion of two lane highway near Wakching
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 1 (MExN): Students’ unions of Wakching Village, Wakching Town and Wakching Chingla Village made an appeal today to “save Wakching area from isolation,” while opposing the proposed diversion of the two-lane highway (SARDP-NE) Merangkong-Tamlu- Mon Road alignment at Km 58 to 63 near Wakching.
The joint statement from Chingak Konyak, President, Wakching Town Students’ Union; Methwang Konyak, President, Wakching Students’ Union; and Chingjei Konyak, President, Wakching Chingla Students’ Union reminded that Wakching is the “cradle of education for the Konyaks and is a historical place for the Nagas.”
The student unions informed that the proposed diversion if implemented would affect many state government and central government educational institutions. The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, under the Ministry of the Human Resources Development, where students from all over Nagaland pursue education will be detached from road connectivity, they informed.
The student unions also pointed out that the upcoming Model Science College under Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan is the only science college in the district which will ultimately be affected by the road diversion. Further, they stated that the Government High School, Wakching established in 1958 as the first High School in Konyak soil is another institution to be affected.
They further noted that government offices like the office of SDO (Civil), BDO, SDEO, CDPO, SDO (PWD) is about to be detached as a result of the proposed diversion. The unions informed that the diversion would affect eight villages and one administrative Hq. They include: Wakching Village, Wakching Chingla Village, Lampong Wakching Village, Wanching Village, Wanching Yongmuoh Village, Chingphoi Village, Chindang Village, Shiyong Village, and Wakching Hq.
The student unions asked the Government of Nagaland to therefore carefully analyze the proposed plan because the NHIDCL has made various reasons with regard to the diversion.
In the first meeting at the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Mon on July 9, 2018, Arun Kumar, GM, NHIDCL had stated that finance was not the problem but the gradient of the road at Wakching portion is high and thereby does not fulfill the highway criteria.
However the union said that public leaders of Wakching Area challenged the NHIDCL in the meeting at the office of the Chief Secretary on August 28, 2018 by requesting the Nagaland Government to re-check the gradient through technical experts.
In another meeting with the Chief Minister on September 27, the unions claimed that the NHIDCL “twisted the reason for diversion” citing financial constraint. “The difference between the existing road and the diversion is just eight kilometers. But 90% of the earth work is already completed by the Maytas & Gayatri firm in the existing road whereas; fresh cutting has to be done in the diversion. Therefore, financial constrain is just a mere excuse,” the student unions observed. They asked the Government of Nagaland to work towards retaining the existing road instead of simply listening to the NHIDCL.
“If that portion of road (13 kilometres) is not included in the highway, the state government will be bound to declare it as PWD road when the treasury of the Nagaland Government itself is empty. With Rs. 1657.88 crore deficits in the state government, it will be a blunder to take the extra burden,” the unions stated.
They meanwhile also expressed surprise at the approach of the state government to this diversion issue. The unions therefore called upon the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, elected members and public leaders from the area to “save Wakching area from deep social isolation.”
In a statement issued to the media on September 29, the Member of Nagaland Legislative Assembly from 42 Wakching Assembly Constituency, YM Yollow Konyak has also alleged that the Government of Nagaland and the NHIDCL have turned a deaf ear to the request of the public of Wakching area with regard to the proposed diversion.
