Mokokchung’s businesses likely to be hit
Yarden Jamir
Mokokchung | September 7
Protesting against dilapidated road conditions, more than 50 truck and pickup drivers have called for an indefinite strike beginning Tuesday, refusing to enter Nagaland via the Mariani road or NH 702D. The protesting drivers demand that even if the authorities do not pave a blacktopped road, they should at least repair the road with boulders and gravel to make it pliable.
The protestors alleged that the 84.9 km Mokokchung-Mariani road, formally known as National Highway 702D, which is Nagaland’s second busiest highway, has been in a pitiful condition for years and poses a major threat to the drivers’ lives and their vehicles.
One of the protesting drivers, Biki Ali, told Mokokchung Times that the protest was decided upon collectively by the drivers from Assam and Nagaland rather than being mobilized by any particular union.
Trucks and pickup trucks are among the vehicles that transport essential commodities not just to Mokokchung but also to neighboring districts like Zunheboto and Tuensang. The owners of the trucks, according to the drivers, are from both Nagaland and Assam.
“The condition of the road is terrible. There are many potholes, making driving extremely challenging. Our lives are in grave danger, and we want the authorities to know that,” Ali said.
“We lost one of our men in an accident on this road just 12 days ago,” he added.
A damaged vehicle is still off the road, according to another driver, Abhijeet Ghosh. “The road hasn’t received maintenance in a while. And the authorities have not gotten back to us yet,” he rued.
“The road keeps becoming worse every year, and we drivers are having a lot of issues. We currently travel on that road by risking our lives,” Ajit Kol remarked.
“Our sole source of livelihood is through this. Also, we think that it is because of us that residents in Mokokchung, Zunheboto and Tuensang are timely receiving the essential goods they require. Thus, both parties gain from this. All we’re asking for is a basic road because we want to feel secure while we’re on the road,” he continued.
According to Jaan Gogoi, the road conditions are so terrible that drivers don’t know if they’re on the main road or in a ditch. He further stated that the poor condition of the road damages not just their vehicles but also the commodities they transport.
Gogoi said he was a bread-winner and inquired about what would happen to his family if he passed away in an accident because of the poor road condition.
“I need to provide for my wife and kids. If I were to die in an accident, the truck owner might give us a little money as compensation, but what happens after that? How will my family be taken care of?” an apprehensive Gogoi asked.
Meanwhile, Ayu Kichu, the president of the Mokokchung Truck Drivers Union confirmed to this newspaper that they had recently visited the scene of a fatal truck accident last week which was brought on by the poor condition of the road.
Kichu stated that he was told about the strike by the drivers. He went on to say that the protesting drivers had asked him not to extend help to those drivers not taking part in the strike, in case they get involved in an unfortunate incident.
The indefinite strike is expected to have the greatest impact on Mokokchung’s market and business sector.
According to Abdul Jaish, a vegetable vendor in Mokokchung, the strike’s impacts have already been felt in the market, affecting price hikes as well as the town’s availability of essential commodities.
He stated that prices of vegetables have risen by as much as Rs 20 per kg in some commodities in the last two days because of the drivers’ strike.