NEPS News Service:
Nagaland, KOHIMA, June 27 (NEPS): Nagaland Minister for Roads and Bridges G Kaito Aye said his department was making all out efforts to see that people did not face any major disturbances on the roads during monsoon seasons. He, however, appealed to the public to understand that natural calamities like major landslides occurred during such seasons. Yet, he added his department would try to the extent possible to see that such issues solved at the shortest possible time.
Talking to NEPS News Service here, the Minister also disclosed that his department had already set aside “Contingency fund” though limited fund to see that any unexpected landslides if they blocked roads or damaged roads would be looked into to the extent possible. He, however, called upon the general public to understand the predicaments involved during such natural calamities which were beyond human control and appealed them bear inconveniences occurred during such periods.
He also admitted that sometimes certain areas of the roads became messy mainly because of the heavy road constructions going on during monsoon period and that had also caused inconveniences to the travelers. But all these were only for the improvement of the road conditions, he explained.
The Minister also disclosed that under various Central Schemes, they had done good number of roads and there was marked road network improvement in the State over the years. He cited few Central Schemes like National Highway Development Projects, Special Accelerated Roads Development Projects and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) that were doing well in the State over the years. “Yet they still have to do a lot in road sectors,” he pointed out. “For which they have submitted number of projects to the Center and some of them got sanctioned.”
He also disclosed that some major road construction projects were going on in Mon district and they were expected to complete in three years time. It started in February last year, he stated.
Kaito also disclosed that they were expecting another sanction anytime for the 2nd Phase Project of the National Highway 150—from Mokokchung to Tuensang up to Akash Bridge and from Akash Bridge to Kohima, which is under BRO.
The Minister also disclosed that they had been fighting to get more fund from the Center for the maintenance of the existing roads in the State. “Unlike other States, our roads are in alluvial soil and in difficult terrain that become worsen during rainy season and because of all these factors, the life of the newly constructed roads is also much shorter,” he added. “As such, unless we get fund from the Center for maintenance of the existing roads, it is very difficult to upkeep our existing roads.”
