‘Beautiful People, Bad Roads’ is how Nagaland was defined by the participants of Friendship Car rally. Welcome to Nagaland, the ‘Land of Potholes’. There will be a time when people from across the world would want to come, see and experience these potholes for themselves and the state government will soon be promoting ‘Pothole Tourism’. Potholes are not just a nuisance within towns and cities but have also become a major safety hazard and cause for huge traffic jams on all roads, Including National Highways in Nagaland.
The roads are horrible, except for the roads in Mokokchung District. The road conditions in Mokokchung District are appreciated and it raises the question as to how the authorities and Departments in other districts cannot and have not done the same. It is also a wonder why the public of the other districts are silent on the issue. The bad roads cost extra travelling-time, risk to life and excessive damage to vehicles. Such situation is a regular hardship faced by the citizens. It is definitely a costly, arduous and an inconvenient affair. The bare necessities like medical facilities, hotels/food-joints, workshops etc are also far flung which cause added inconvenience to travelers. A famous quote states, “only the wearer knows where the shoe bites”. And this first-hand experience definitely pinches all.
The whole Zunheboto, Tuensang and Mon Districts probably have the worst roads in Nagaland. The roads are getting worse day by day and the concerned authorities have turned a blind eye to their responsibilities. It has been years since any maintenance activity has been seen on ground. Even the residents have stopped complaining about bumpy rides, accidents and flooding.
The conditions of roads are the visible sign of any development in an area and the indicators of the performance of the Government in power. It is a sincere appeal to the Government of Nagaland to prove its accountability and credibility to the people of the state by providing good roads, the genesis of developments and advancement of the community.
Akhato Zimomi
