DIMAPUR, March 20 - The Nagaland Road Maintenance Policy, 2017 will come into force with immediate effect from the date of its publication in the extraordinary gazette and remain in operation till such time the State Government considers it fit and proper, Nagaland Governor PB Acharya said in a notification on Monday.
The Government has also reserved the right to make an amendment to the policy and its rules from time to time as deemed fit, the notification added. The roads in the State have been neglected for years by successive governments though various organisations have raised demands for immediate intervention and response in this regard. Most roads have potholes and some of them have been partially swept away, making it absolutely essential to upgrade the entire road system in the State.
The condition of the roads is a sorry reflection on the state of affairs and governance in Nagaland. Successive governments have failed to address the engineering and construction aspects of roads. The public have constantly brought the issue to the notice of the Government, but there has been no positive outcome in this regard.
The new People�s Democratic Alliance (PDA) Government in it first Cabinet meeting, immediately after taking oath on March 8, decided to repair and renovate roads in the State capital, Kohima, commercial hub Dimapur and all district headquarters within 60 days. The Cabinet asserted that a comprehensive master plan for maintenance of all major roads would be put into place. It said citizens could monitor the plan and give feedback on the progress of the works and quality control using Information Technology. It also assured that a web-based mapping software for State roads would be implemented within 100 days.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highway under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in North East had recently approved of construction of 12 road stretches in Nagaland at a cost of over Rs 3,000 crore.
