Roads make a crucial contribution to economic growth, development and social benefits. They are of vital importance in order to make a nation grow and develop. In addition, providing access to employment, social, health and education services makes a road network crucial in alleviating poverty. Roads open up more areas and stimulate economic growth and social development. For these reasons, road infrastructure is the most important of all public assets. It is true, roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses.
In the context of Mokokchung, the paramount importance of road connectivity cannot be taken for granted. Being a landlocked region in a remote corner of the world, far removed from the viability of other modes of connectivity like rail, air or sea ways, roadways are our only resort. Intra-district road connectivity is equally important, but for brevity’s sake, the focus here is on the highways that connect us to the rest of the world.
NH-02, formerly Amguri Road, was the first major road that connected us to the plains of Assam and beyond, built during the British era. NH-702D was built much later after Nagaland’s statehood as a border road. The timeline here is open to be crosschecked but the point is that, without these two roads, Mokokchung and the hinterlands would never have reached even the level we are at today. There are now many roads being built in each corner of the district connecting us to other parts of the state and region, which is a welcome development. It is hoped that our policy makers understand that building new roads and maintaining them are equally important.
NH-702D is the second busiest highway in Nagaland today. It is the arterial road for not just Mokokchung but also the neighboring districts. Maintaining it in the way it should be is of most urgent need. Moreover, there are reports of a proposal for realignment of the road. If that in fact is true, vested interests should not be allowed to take precedence at least for this once. The road belongs to the people and the people should be made aware of what is going on behind closed doors.
The report of unidentified armed miscreants disrupting the construction of Changtongya-Dikhu road is another menace that should be rooted out immediately. The culprits should be brought to book immediately by the law enforcement agencies and deterrent punitive actions must be initiated against them.
Any form of corruption, malpractice and obstruction in construction of roads should be treated as playing with people’s lives, the living as well as future generations.