A road that once served as a footpath for generations of villagers making their way to the fields has entered a new chapter, with Ungma on Thursday inaugurating the Lenyong Lenmang Ungma Impang (Bamboo Cement Concrete Road) – a community initiative that blends local history with an experimental use of bamboo as reinforcement in a cement-concrete road.
The road was inaugurated by Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker Sharingain Longkumer. Initiated by Impang Kosasanger Pusu Menden, the project has a total proposed length of 1.7 kilometres, of which about 720 metres have been completed.
Speaking on the significance of the road, Imtidongba Jamir Tatar said the route is used by vehicles travelling to and from Tuensang, Longsa village and Sapotimi. Beyond its present-day use, he said, the road follows a path once used by the forefathers of Ungma to reach their agricultural fields.
Jamir recalled that after the celebration of Tsüngremmong, village leaders would announce a community workday during which villagers cleared the forest along the route.
“Every man carried his own food wrapped in leaves as they worked together to clear the pathway,” he said, adding that the tradition continued for many years.
According to Jamir, around 30 to 35 years ago, during the Mopungsanger Pusu, villagers first made the route passable for vehicles. Further improvements were undertaken under the Kosasanger Pusu, after which vehicles from neighbouring districts also began using the road.
Highlighting the uniqueness of the project, Lipokzulu Longkumer Tatar said the village experimented with using bamboo as reinforcement in the cement-concrete road by utilising locally available materials.
Addressing the gathering, Speaker Sharingain Longkumer expressed gratitude for being invited to inaugurate the road and said he was honoured to be part of an initiative that preserves the story and tradition associated with the historic route.
