The Office of the Sangtam Students’ Union Dimapur (SSUD) has called the attention of the Nagaland Government and concern authorities on the deplorable condition of the roads in and around Dimapur which it says is indirectly affecting the mental health of the people travelling on them, students in particular.

In a press release, the SSUD stated that good roads are one of the basic needs of citizens but regretted the State Government’s “nugatory attitude” in delivery of this need. It pointed out that travelling on the “rough, uneven, badly rutted road” is leading to more complications in the social and professional lives of Dimapur citizens.

The Union opined that the Nagaland Government should be in a position to repair and maintain the roads, drains and footpaths, given that it collects indirect taxes from fuel, car sales, parking fees, etc. and urged it to utilize the funds with all seriousness for a clean, safe and progressive Dimapur.

Further, to highlight the benefits of good roads for citizens as well as the economy, SSUD referred to an analysis conducted on 14th October 2022 by IIT Roorkee and the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi that stated: “if maintained properly, a network of city roads could save 0.128 million litres of fuel per 1000 vehicle- km over the next 15 years”.  It added that research scholar Bhavesh Jain at the centre for Transportation System, IIT Roorkee had stated, “On a 5km stretch, better road conditions can save up to 640 litres of fuel per vehicle over 15 years”.