The Union Government has a policy to connect all the state capitals in the country with railways and airlines. In fact, the move to connect all the state capitals in the NE India region is going on at a rapid pace. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on India’s 75th Independence Day in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the capitals of India’s northeastern states will soon be connected by rail. “Very soon the job of connecting the capital cities of the northeastern states by rail will be completed,” Modi said. Just this week, Shokhuvi Railway Station, the second rail station in Nagaland was made operational and state Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio flagged off the Donyi Polo Express. The railway track till Zubza near Kohima is expected to be completed by 2024. While this policy to connect all the state capitals by railways is a welcome development, the fact remains that it is ‘politically motivated’ although much is being said about the aims and benefits of the policy. Viewed strictly from the economic point of view, it would have been more viable to have a railway station in Tuli than in Kohima. Nonetheless, it is hoped that Tuli will get a functioning railway station in the future – sooner or later. In fact, Tuli already has a railway station that is being intermittently used for freight movement and it is only a matter of time before the Railway Ministry realizes its economic importance. True, there are downsides to progress and development no doubt. Railway lines, along with the goods, also bring unwanted developments as ‘part of the package’. Along with the economic benefits will also come environmental degradation and demographic alterations that will change things forever, for better or for worse.
Now, leaving aside the pros and cons of railway connectivity, the sorry state of affairs in Mokokchung is reflected vividly when taxi drivers fill up potholes. We talk about progress and development. Indeed, we want to hear our elected representatives talk about progress and development. So they talk about what our itching ears want to hear. Unfortunately, the job seldom gets done. And so the people mend the potholes themselves. Even if the roads are paved, they don’t last a monsoon season before the omnipresent potholes resurface. The ‘potholes’ are referred to here as an illustration of the progress and development we are so fond of. If we cannot have a potholes-free road, and if we do not have a governance system where the potholes are patched even before they appear, and if we remain a citizenry who are not bothered when our rights are deprived by the powers-that-be, we will never see progress and development in the real sense of the term. Do we even need to talk about railways and airlines when we can’t even claim potholes-free roads?