Work for smooth road

Kohima, Sept. 5 : Weary of the state government’s apathy towards maintenance of the 8km Jotsoma bypass road, the lifeline for parts of Nagaland and Manipur during this time of the year, the village council of Jotsoma today organised an eight-hour mass social work from 8am during which traffic was stopped.

“We wanted to show to the state government how much we care for the people, including Manipur,” Visezo Nagi, the chairman of village council said, adding that the village council’s repeated pleas to the state government to take care of the road went unheeded.

“We are very unhappy with the state government,” Nagi said.

For more than a month traffic has been affected as the bypass is a one-lane road.

Nagi said restoration of NH39 would take a few more months.

The bypass is the only road for plying of heavy vehicles, but the state government and the public works department cares little for maintenance of this road, he alleged.

After more then a month, neither the PWD officials nor the minister of roads and bridges have visited and assessed the condition of the road.

Hundreds of Jotsoma villagers besides personnel of the Assam Rifles, CRPF and BRO took part in today’s social work, but there were no officials from the PWD.

Kohima district administration officials, led by the deputy commissioner, officials from BRO, CRPF and Assam Rifles along with roads and bridges minister G. Kaito Aye and Speaker Kiyanielie Peseyie inspected the road.

Officials from the Angami Public Organisation, Angami Youth Organisation, Angami Women Association and Angami Students’ Union also inspected the road.

Around 20 bulldozers and over 40 trucks were pressed into service.

Roads and bridges minister G. Kaito Aye and Nagaland Speaker Kiyanielie Peseyie inspected the road.