The remedial measures thus far are mere ‘band-aid’ responses that are cosmetic, superficially pleasing and aimed at temporarily pacifying the public
In the recent weeks newspapers have reported on road projects which have not been completed even though the budgeted funds were fully allocated. These road projects that started with optimism have left the people feeling betrayed and disappointed. This pathetic reality is further augmented by the roads in and around Dimapur which are beginning to wear down and crumble without any sign of regular maintenance. All this demonstrates a complete breach of public trust and accountability.
In today’s context, the need for good motorable roads is not one of privilege, it is an absolute necessity. The deteriorated and unmaintained road conditions are directly related to issues of safety, health, environment, governance, corruption, power, as well as trade and commerce. They impede economic development, increase vehicle maintenance and repairs, and generally have a negative impact on the overall cost of living. Nagaland roads continue to be riddled with potholes, cracks and more potholes that have bumpy blacktop band-aids over even more potholes and cracks. The ‘band-aid’ approach does nothing more than cover the roads with temporary superficial make-up.
In Nagaland state, along with other basic infrastructure components (for example, water and electricity), the road conditions sadly reflect the state of governance and lack of political will. Historically, successive governments, irrespective of political party, have failed to sincerely respond to upgrading the roads’ engineering, construction, and quality so that they survive the harsh weather conditions. Year after year, summer after summer, monsoon after monsoon, the people have consistently raised the need for immediate interventions and responses to the government. For whatever reason, the government response or lack thereof, remains inadequate. The remedial measures thus far are mere ‘band-aid’ responses that are cosmetic, superficially pleasing and aimed at temporarily pacifying the public. These shallow responses indicate that the government does not support or respect the people’s need for safe freedom of movement that will improve their quality of life and well being.
It is not enough to point out that the roads in Nagaland are in a deplorable condition. The public needs to question why the Nagaland roads are terrible, identify the root causes and explore solutions. The Nagaland public can no longer remain silent! The majority cannot continue to suffer silently because of the actions of a few. Roads are not just roads. They are crucial to the people’s well-being and make it possible to be mobile, transact business through the exchange of goods and services, as well as, and to connect and inter-relate.
This situation prompts many questions. What do bad roads in Nagaland really mean? Is the present technology for road engineering, design and construction faulty? Are the contractors responsible for building the roads doing their job? Are the contractors judiciously using the public’s resources for building roads? Is the government allocating sufficient resources for the type of roads that are needed? Who benefits from bad roads? While these questions remain unanswered, the impact drains the economy through misspent funds, while negatively affecting everyone’s productivity and commerce. The fact is there is an urgency to develop a road system that is efficient, responsive and effective.
Road-building requires political will, resources, technology, techniques, and accountability, in addition to understanding the geography and terrain. The challenge to building roads in Nagaland are always appears to be a reaction to how the government and contractors perform. Obviously someone is benefitting financially from the shoddy road construction, but ordinary people are suffering the most.
