Aiborlang and Tsungkamla
Bosco B.Ed College, Dimapur
First and foremost, we convey our sincere congratulations to the state government of Nagaland for the good initiative of renewing the pathetic footpaths in different areas of Dimapur town.
This step has contributed a lot to its cleanliness. However, let us not close our eyes that hawkers are also increasing day by day and causing lots of troubles and difficulties to the pedestrians in different footpaths of the town, especially in Dhobinalla.
We remember reading one short article in your esteemed daily Newspaper, where a person expressed her difficulties while going to the church on Sunday morning as she passed through that footpath near the city tower, and gave her suggestion on how to deal with the hawkers. She said hawkers should be given a special plot of land in the town itself where they can sell their commodities and not along the footpath. Yet till now the situation remains the same. Several times we see commotion on Sunday mornings near the city tower footpath where both vehicles and pedestrians take a long time to pass through that way due to hawkers on the footpath.
Therefore, it makes us to question the concerned authority whether those renovated footpaths are meant for pedestrians or for the comfort of the hawkers? Definitely Nagaland is a Christian state, and we are meant to take care of the poor and the downtrodden people as Christ taught us in the Holy Book, The Bible. Hence, we certainly believe that those hawkers are poor people and earn their livelihood only through this way of selling things in the open market. Having said this we do not mean to say that we should continue allowing hawkers to sell their commodities in the footpath nor forcefully take away their only business of life, but what we want to say is exactly like the former writer on the same issue, that is, the town committee should arrange a certain plot of land in the town itself for these hawkers in order to help the pedestrians to walk freely in the renovated footpath that is meant for them. It is also very unfortunate to see people riding cycles or motor bikes on the footpath due to traffic jam. Some even go to the extent of passing urine and dumping of garbage along the footpath. Footpaths are safe ways for the pedestrians and especially for the school children. We have heard of many accidents due to lack of footpath in many places. We must congratulate the Nagaland government for providing a proper footpath for the safety of pedestrians especially in the town like Dimapur.
However, people too must cooperate with the good intention of the state government and the municipality of trying to improve the development of Dimapur town in terms of proper footpath for its cleanliness and particularly for the safety of the pedestrians. Dimapur is the only commercial town of Nagaland, where all the Naga tribes are found, hence renewing of footpaths will have a great impact not only on the present generation but also on the future generations who look up to us elders in connection with the safety of walking within the busy town. Many of our friends in our college talk a lot about the renovation of footpaths in the town, in which they feel safe and secure while roaming around the town because of good footpaths.
Along with the good opinion from different people about the improvement of footpath in the town, certainly as concerned citizens we wish that the government should do something for the good of the pedestrians and the hawkers. Therefore, by writing this short article we do not mean to attack anyone, instead we just want to express our opinion for the good of the town and the welfare of all the people. Therefore, our big question again is, is the said renovated footpath meant for Pedestrians or Hawkers?
