KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 25 (MExN): The Western Sümi Students’ Union (WSSU) on Thursday demanded urgent and permanent restoration of the long-neglected Niuland–Ghotovi–Tsogin–Zhadima–Kohima road, a vital alternate route to the State capital.
In a statement issued on behalf of people from the Niuland–Zhadima belt, the Union said the Government’s “neglect and deprivation” along this lifeline had persisted for years, despite the road’s strategic importance for connectivity to Kohima, Wokha and Zunheboto.
The WSSU contrasted this with the state government’s expenditure on NH-29, which it described as a “death trap” and “road coffin” due to recurring landslides and accidents. “The Niuland–Ghotovi–Tsogin–Zhadima–Kohima road, the most viable and reliable alternate route to the capital, has been left to decay in neglect,” the statement said.
It cited a 2016 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways order sanctioning Rs 321.15 crore for the 34.171 km Dimapur–Kohima Capital bypass via Niuland–Zhadima under the ISC scheme, saying “nearly a decade has gone by, yet no tangible work has reached the ground,” raising questions on accountability, transparency and the Government’s commitment to development.
The Union said villages such as Ghotovi and Hovishe, located along the route, had been subjected to “repeated roadblocks, daily hardship and economic losses” due to the government’s inaction. “This is not just administrative inefficiency, it is injustice,” it added.
WSSU warned that no further “empty assurances or paperwork promises” would be tolerated and urged the Government to commence permanent construction works immediately. The Union said failure to act within a reasonable timeframe would compel it, along with Niuland-based organisations, village authorities and other bodies, to launch “strong democratic forms of protest, including road blockades and mass agitation, until justice is delivered.”
