•-In what has become a very common phenomenon in Dimapur town, I was a witness to another case of drunken and reckless driving that could have resulted in high casualty had it been during rush hour. On the 30th of January at around 9:30 pm a black Scorpio (belonging to someone connected to a prominent Nagaland minister who for obvious reasons will remain un-named) coming from clock tower junction towards Metro Hospital, that too from the wrong side of the road divider at a very high speed, clipped a Maruti Alto on the right side, then another maroon Scorpio which unfortunately suffered severe damage and became immobile. The rampage eventually came to a halt after the vehicle banged into the gate post of a residence near Metro Hospital. The driver of the black Scorpio was absolutely drunk out of his senses and was talking absolute nonsense even to the police and IRB personnel who had arrived at the scene. Later the driver was taken away to the police station and the owners of the vehicles settled the matter amicably with one of them even saying that mistakes happen sometimes and that the matter should be settled between them. I wonder what the case would have been if there were several casualties. Would they have still said 'mistakes happen sometimes' at the cost of precious lives because of some irresponsible drunkard? The drunken driver would most probably have been let off lightly since the matter was amicably settled. The police should have been a little more stringent rather than handing over the matter to the owners to settle and thereby washing their hands off. It is high time that strict measures are taken to set an example for such offences committed so that people are more cautious about driving under the influence of alcohol. It would also show that the police is a no-nonsense force concerned about the safety of the citizens, rather than a meek and timid one.
The stretch from clock tower to Nuton basti junction and beyond towards DC junction is an uninterrupted long stretch. At night when traffic is less, many become a Michael Schumacher and zip through this stretch in their 'moving discos' blaring music at high decibels. With a prominent hospital and major junctions along this particular stretch, there is an urgent need for a solution to avoid speeding. Also, the culvert after Metro hospital is an accident prone area especially at night because the road is not lit although a street lamp post exists. Residents of the area have witnessed many accidents, some fatal around the culvert area and the road dividers. I strongly urge the concerned authorities to repair the street lights and prominently illuminate the culvert, road dividers and also rectify the problem of overspeeding around this area to avoid more lives being lost.
Sincerely,
A concerned resident of Middle Point Area
Dimapur.
