Sangkong Jamir
Mokokchung | June 7
Raising the ghosts of last year’s tragic landslides in Mokokchung, the retaining gradient wall of the Mokokchung District Deputy Commissioners office which was constructed only recently, collapsed last night at around 11.30 pm even while Tening in Peren district continues to be cut off due to landslides from this year’s monsoon’s incessant rains. The collapse of the DC’s wall is the third, with two previous ones occurring some two years back.
On June 6, Mokokchung experienced one of the heaviest rainfalls this year, with the downpour starting from morning that somehow led to the collapse taking away a major junk of it. The wall which is a part of an extension on which the DC’s office rests on, was built as an extension for parking vehicles. Had the collapse occurred noon it could have inflicted damage or injuries for the reason that the road below is one of the main roadways in the town.
This debris blocked the roadway creating inconvenience to motorists as well as the commuting public. The Mokokchung Municipal council Administrator Nungsang ADC, Mokokchung and his team swung into action to clear the road and by 9.00 am was cleared for traffic movement.
Those who involved in the clearing works of the road, which started by 6.00 am , included Mokokchung PS, IOC, Traffic OC, Municipal members and Assam Rifles jawans numbering around 30 led by a Major as well as porters assisted in the road clearing. It is also learnt that the outlay and payment for the wall, which is still incomplete, is still pending. The contractor could not be contacted till the filing of this report.
The arrival of the Monsoon has awakened fears of more landslides in areas of Mokokchung, one of the hilliest regions in Nagaland. Further, the Tenning Ad-Hoc Town Committee has expressed serious concern that due to landslides from incessant rains in the region for the past six days, the Tenning-to-Tamei road and Kohima-Lieke road from Tenning to Nsong have been cut off totally.
Kerang Dumtta, Vice Chairman of the Committee expressed discontent that till date no measures from any agencies have been undertaken nor any concern shown for the affected areas and “not a single labor deployed till date.” Dumtta informed that “the only source of relief works in the past happen to be one bulldozer and one excavator which was purchased by the PWD (for) Tenning-Tamei road which (has) vanished into thin air”. The Committee’s Vice Chairman while noting that there are some officers in the said areas “whose faces I have never seen even once as a Vice Chairman”, also appealed for an action plan to address the situation and “tackle the erring officers”.
