Fed up with dust, residents block vehicles of construction firm
Residents of Patkai colony, Chümoukedima Ward-I hold up placards during the blockade along the NH 29 on February 19.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 19
Citizens of Patkai colony, Chümoukedima Ward-I today took a protest against the authority of the ongoing by-pass highway construction. No vehicles belonging to Simplex Infrastructure Ltd were allowed to commute.
Fed up with constant dust pollution, residents of Patkai Colony, Ward No 1, Chümoukedima on Wednesday disallowed movement of vehicles of a construction firm within its jurisdiction.
The firm, one Simplex Infrastructure Limited, is involved in the ongoing highway by-pass construction.
The residents resorted to this action on Wednesday morning 9:00am after numerous failed complaints to the firm to regularly water the area in order to control the dust pollution.
“Citizens of this colony have been facing hardships because of the hazardous dust that is being emitted on a daily basis and further leading to serious health concerns. The citizens have given numerous complaints and requested the authorities to spray the road with water as required,” the residents said in a statement.
Speaking to this newspaper, a resident of the colony said that they had written numerous times to the firm (Simplex) to regularly water the by-pass highway falling within its jurisdiction in order to control the dust.
The blockade continued till late evening when a meeting was held involving the Dobashis from Chümoukedima, the Ward 1 GB, Patkai Colony Chairman, representatives of the construction firm and the EAC Chümoukedima.
During the meeting, the firm signed a written undertaking assuring the village council that the firm would provide water tankers from Thursday onwards and try minimise the dust pollution at the area.
It was meanwhile informed that another meeting with the EAC, Chümoukedima would be held on Thursday to discuss the problem of dust pollution as a result of the road construction works.
