Men from Kutsapo village pulling the truck that fell off the road.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 10
Locals from Kutsapo village under Phek district took Twitter by storm on Sunday when a video of them pulling up a truck using ropes went viral on the micro blogging site.
According to sources, the truck which was bound for Dimapur, failed to maneuver a turn and fell off the road on December 26. No serious injuries were reported among the eight passengers onboard.
Speaking to The Morung Express on Sunday, Kutsapo Village Council Chairman Zashevezo Rhakho informed that the rescue operation was conducted on January 8.
Without any machinery to pull up the goods carrier, the council made a call requesting all ‘fit and healthy’ men from the village to assist in the unique rescue operation, he said.
Applying the techniques used during traditional stone pulling ceremonies, the villagers tied ropes and vines to the front and side of the truck and set up bamboo tracks along the path where the tyres would roll up.
The men lined up in different directions and pulled up the truck from the gorge.
“It was not an easy task but we had more than a hundred men pulling the truck. We got it back on the road quicker than expected,” Rhakho stated.
While community efforts like these are not uncommon especially among the Angami and Chakhesang Nagas where traditional stone pulling is practiced, the efforts of the Kutsapo villagers were widely appreciated on Twitter.
“In a village in Nagaland (not yet identified) the entire community pulls up a truck which fell off the road with ropes & the spirit of unity!” tweeted Nagaland Advisor for IT, Science and Technology, NRE, Mmhonlumo Kikon.
“THIS is how one conquers problems, challenges, crises - by building community, by relying on each other, by slipping and sliding, and getting up together. And the seemingly impossible then becomes yet another opportunity to meet and stand together again. Bravo, bravo, bravo!” one user commented.
However, there were also netizens who pointed out that the incident was “nothing to be proud of,” and termed it as an “example of corruption and poor road infrastructure.”
