A jeep crosses the hanging bridge over the Zungki River on the way to Pungro via-Tethezu in Kiphire district of Nagaland. (Morung photo)
Morung Express News
Kiphire | November 21
During a glitzy evening on November 4 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Delhi, Nagaland won the India Today Group award for what is called the “most improved state,” in infrastructure. Some 2,000 kilometers back home, a Tata mobile lorry carrying goods was struggling to cross a ‘hanging bridge’ on the way to Pungro in Kiphire district of Nagaland. The bridge over the Zungki River connects Kiphire and Pungro via Tethezu. Heavy vehicles are prohibited from plying on the bridge and smaller vehicles are not permitted to carry more than 1 ton of load. People still use this “development” available to them for transport and communication.
Located in the eastern border of Nagaland, Kiphire district is one of the lesser- developed areas in Nagaland. The district is home to a number of tribes including the Yimchunger, Sumi and the Sangtam. Kiphire was carved out of Tuensang district in 2004. Since then it has been enjoying separate funds meant for development like the local area development fund, the underdeveloped area fund, border area funds, etc. In spite of the inflow of money for development, the district has seen little or no changes since it came into being.
Road conditions in Kiphire district, according to a resident of Kiphire town are “not too good.” Devoid of drainage systems, the entire town gets flooded during monsoon months. Since last year, there has been no repair works on the roads and people went though this monsoon season with utmost difficulty, residents said. A citizen commented that the road beyond Pungro town is meant only for the “Shaktiman” – a sturdy old-fashioned military truck used in the hills.
Further, the hanging bridge over Zungki River, the largest tributary of the Tizu River, was built in 2002-2003 by the Public Works Department. It serves as a lifeline to at least two villages and is used as a short-cut to get to Pungro’s areas. Road communication has somewhat penetrated into many previously inaccessible areas, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done for the people of this region.
Most of the bridges are old, rusted and inaccessible during monsoon. The region has a population of less than 75,000 and with funds pouring in there is no reason why the dismal conditions should remain and the areas stay underdeveloped if funds were used judiciously.
