Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 2
On the morning of Wednesday, August 2, several nursery school children who study in Naga United Village gathered near the Patkai-Siethekiema-Showuba road—a road they now take to reach school. They stood there all morning to tell the Chief Minister of Nagaland’s entourage—“We are stranded; Bridge please!”
The ministers’ entourage that set out the same morning to inspect flood hit areas and speak to victims, such as the students, inspected the collapsed bridge at 4th mile over Chathe River and gave the students a miss.
Had they made the effort, they would taste the hardships being faced by people on the east bank of the river without a bridge. At least seven major education institutions are located here.
Thousands affected
“Thousands of students will be affected,” said Kezhaleno Phira, Proprietor and Administrator of Highland Hall School that has more than 600 students.
It takes more than one and a half hours from Dimapur town to reach Naga United Village through the decrepit Patkai-Siethekiema-Showuba road. School buses that ply students to school have begun to break down and fuel costs have risen five times.
These education institutions cater to more than 13 villages in the area, Phira informed, and several more whose children come to study here from the west side.
“We are undergoing mental and physical stress,” said Dr. Chubatola Aier, Proprietor and Principal of C-Edge College. Even though theirs is a new institution, the College has been trying to provide buses to its students to traverse the treacherous alternate route.
“Buses and vehicles are already in workshops after 2-3 trips. Due to time constraint imposed by the heavy travel, we have had to cut down on co curricular activities. Our teachers are tired even before they can begin classes. It is affecting the quality of education,” she observed.
So she, and two other teachers from the area, decided to try out another alternative: a hanging footbridge across the Chathe.
“Oh my god! It is 500 feet across and only five people can cross at a time. It is scary!” exclaimed Dr. Chubatola, recollecting the terrifying walk across. “How will the little ones cross it?” wondered Phira.
The crossing operation of helping five people cross at a time is managed by neighbouring villages—it is partly funded by the government and partly through voluntary donation.
Nontheless, there is “no way” that Administrator of Hope Academy School, Sashila Ozukum, will put the under-13 children of her school through this risk. “Our school has not started yet but we are planning to change shifts for students from each side of the bridge to continue uninterrupted schooling,” she said today, adding that “we desperately need help.”
For those unwilling to sacrifice their hard earned vehicles on the altar of poor governance, the hanging bridge is the only way. “My husband works in town. I drop him to this side of the bridge, from where he crosses by foot and then takes an auto, at times two, to reach his destination. 15 minutes travel time has turned to almost two hours,” said Anili Zhimomi, mother of two children.
Her worries hinge on another aspect. “What if my children fall sick?” People from the area have been dependent on Referral Hospital (CIHSR) for treatment. The bridge connected them. “My sister-in-law is expecting a baby and we have to think of renting a house on the other side to avoid the risk of bad roads and hanging bridges!” Zhimomi rued.
A Bailey Bridge
Driven to desperation and to save the students’ academic career, the educators evoked a wartime construct that could be built in times of peace to transport even heavy equipment: a Bailey Bridge.
“A foot bridge is not very practical as it will create huge pedestrian traffic,” said Sashila Ozukum. On July 15, four educators from C-edge College, Highland Hall School, Hope Academy School and Great Commission HSS, wrote to the Nagaland minister then in-charge of Roads and Bridges (PWD) to take up the construction of a Bailey Bridge across the Chathe at the earliest.
The State fell to political turmoil soon after. Intuiting that this may take time, the educators wrote to the Indian Army. In a letter to the GOC, 3 Corps, Rangapahar, on July 24 (through the district administration), they requested the Army for “emergency assistance” in building a Bailey Bridge through Operation Sadbhavana, a Military Civic Action program.
As we wait to see how the Government of Nagaland and the Army respond, educators and parents pray that at least the river dries up so education may continue safely and unhindered.
This, as the east bank of the Chathe continues to erode threatening more lives, and traffic continues to pile in the absence of other functional bridges linking crucial areas of Dimapur.
