As if the multiple taxations, filth, drugs, booth legging, traffic woes, syndicate system, crumbling infrastructure was not enough, the whole of Dimapur was literally flooded on the evening of 12th September. Dimapur, once the fastest growing city in the entire NE, is now being left behind to rot.
It’s obvious that the state government has misplaced priorities. For instance, instead of nurturing Dimapur, the NDPP-BJP coalition is now contemplating a mini-city around Chathe Prayer Centre area. The audacity of this announcement is simply incredible. Apart from the question of sustainability, it does not take a rocket scientist to fathom who’ll benefit from the works.
The regular occurrence of dengue outbreak in Dimapur is directly linked to flooding and clogged drainages. The state government should immediately direct the district administration to cancel all pattas issued illegally over swamps and sewages, and all the illegal structures should be demolished as well. In the meantime, the government and the concerned MLAs of Dimapur should concentrate all their energy in revamping the entire drainage system of Dimapur.
Secondly, the 12th September deluge flooded Dimapur runway as well, and not for the first time. If land encroachers have obstructed the expansion of both the airport and the Dimapur railway station, what is stopping the state government from immediately evicting all the encroachers? The responsibility of any government is to take iron-willed decisions but the Monsoon Session of the 14th NLA has simply shown the limitations of an opposition-less government.
The single-minded pursuit of Chiethu Airport by the government at the cost of neglecting Dimapur airport is simply stunning. The only conclusion to be drawn from this outrage is nothing else but the pursuit of personal benefits and enrichment. If the same determination with which Chiethu Airport was pursued in the last 10 years had been applied for a new Dimapur airport as well, Nagaland would have had an International Airport by now.
While a few MLAs are appreciated for raising issues in the just concluded 14 Assembly Session, the highlighted points are some of the serious issues which should have been discussed and debated by the 60 MLAs.
