Two of the dozen cave-ins on the Dimapur-Jalukie Road via Khopanullah, a potential risk to vehicles plying in the dusk or night time.
Ashikho Pfuzhe
Dimapur | August 8
The treacherous Dimapur-Jalukie Road via Khopanullah is clearly no road for the faint hearted commuters to travel. And for one willing to take the risk, the travel advisory is – be prepared for 60 minutes of spine tingling sensations.
There are innumerable potholes strewn along the 54km long uneven road. However, the dozen “cave-ins” along the route are a nightmare to travellers and drivers alike, especially in the dusk or during night time. A slight miscalculation while negotiating these cave-ins means a plunge into the deep and precipitous gorges and little chance of survival.
The undergrowths and shrubs alongside the cave-ins make it more difficult for drivers to see the danger from a distance.
The road is the alterative life-line of Peren district and most vehicles including the state-run Nagaland State Transport (NST) buses prefer to ply on this road as it cuts the distance by half compared to the Medziphema-Jalukie road.
According to sources, the upgradation of this road (from other district road to major district road) was undertaken in 2009 with estimated cost of Rs. 3531 lakhs. Additional budget provisions of Rs. 75 lakhs (2010-11) and 188 lakhs (2011-12) were also sanctioned for maintenance of the road.
State NCP president and secretary general NCP (North East), Neiba Ndang, in a recent visit to his native Peren constituency remarked that the government is turning a blind eye even as commuters and villagers from Peren district are travelling daily on this road at the risk of their lives for the past two years.
He said the numerous cave-ins on the road are in fact “trap holes” which might take lives anytime.
“The department concerned is not at all interested to attend to it, the elected representative is silent and the government does not care”, the NCP president said.
Alleging that the road was not constructed as per specifications and without proper drainage or culverts, Ndang also pointed out to two stretches (3km appr) where no black-topping was done.
“How comes the department has given certification without proper verification. In some portion, the road is too narrow that even two light cars cannot pass whereas the specification is 6 metres width”, he said.
Ndang also said that the poor road condition is common to all districts including the state capital Kohima and commercial hub Dimapur.
Stating that the government is answerable to the people and that it should no longer take advantage of the silence of the people, Ndang said the public would no longer remain as “silent spectators” as they have suffered enough.
“The government must thoroughly investigate into the lapses in construction of the road and reply to the people”, the NCP leader added.
