Parliamentary Secretary for Excise, T Torechu (2nd left) along with district administration and Khong village elders after inauguration of road connectivity to Khong village in Mt. Saramati Range in Kiphire district.
KIPHIRE, MARCH 7 (MExN): Villagers of Khong village, under Pungro sub-division in Kiphire district, finally received what they have been petitioning for as long as they can remember – road connectivity.
On March 4, Parliamentary Secretary for Excise, Economics & Statistics and LM & CP, T Torechu, inaugurated the road linking Khong village to the district headquarter and the outside world.
Khong Village, around 80 kms from the district headquarters, with the snow-capped Mt Saramati in the backdrop is one of the last border villages on the Nagaland side of the Indo-Myanmar border.
“Even in our dreams, we did not expect that a road will pass by or connect our village”, said Thronghokiu, the head GB of the village in his welcome address during the road inauguration programme held at the village courtyard.
With Khong connected by road, Vongtsuvong and Tsungdang villages bordering Myanmar are now the only remaining villages among the 38 government recognized villages in Pungro-subdivision yet to have road connectivity.
“All developments in the village including electricity and water connection, we owe it all to our elected leader”, he added. The head GB also recalled with gratitude that in 2007, the then MLA Torechu had come to the village on foot and distributed solar lamps to every household in the village. Electricity came to the village in 2010 and water supply a year earlier.
The Parliamentary Secretary, who also represents 60 Kiphire-Pungro assembly seat, in his address, said that the road connectivity will facilitate Khong villagers in many ways including conveying sick people to hospitals and children studying in institutions outside the village, bringing supply provisions and construction materials.
Torechu urged the villagers to maintain unity among themselves and to judiciously utilize schemes and funds provided by the government if they want their village to catch up with other villages. Earlier, villagers had to carry the sick on their backs and walk a long distance to reach the nearest road.
The Parliamentary Secretary further assured that road connectivity would reach Vongtsuvong and Tsungdang villages in two years’ time.
Additional DC Pungro, MS. Tainu, said that with road connectivity, Khong village can now avail all government facilities. The ADC also reminded the village elders on the need to include women in the Village Development Board as per the state government guidelines.
Earlier, Khong village was the proposed site for a new EAC HQ, which was later shifted to Khongsa because of distance and topography. Womenfolk of the village presented a cultural dance to celebrate the joyous occasion.
