The Nagaland Road Maintenance Policy, 2017 will come into force with immediate effect from the date of its publication in the extraordinary gazette and will remain in operation till such time the state government considers it fit and proper, Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya said in a notification on Monday.
The government has also reserved the right to make amendment to the policy and its rules from time to time as deemed fit, the notification added. The policy was approved by Nagaland Cabinet vide O.M.No. CAB-2/2013 on December 13, 2017.
The road conditions in entire Nagaland have been neglected for years by successive governments despite the need for immediate interventions and responses has been raised by various organisations. The deteriorated and unpredictable road conditions with deep potholes and some partially swept away have made it an absolute necessity to upgrade the entire road system in the state.
One of the primary examples of Nagaland’s sad state of affairs and poor governance is the road system. The successive governments have totally failed in upgrading the roads’ engineering, construction and quality.
The public has often sought to know the root causes why roads are is such a deplorable condition in the state.
The new People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government at it first Cabinet meeting immediately after taking oath on March 8 decided to repair and renovate roads and fill potholes in the State capital Kohima, commercial hub Dimapur and district headquarters within 60 days. The Cabinet asserted that a comprehensive master plan for maintenance of all major roads would be put in place. It said citizens could monitor the plan and give feedback on progress of works and quality control using information technology. It also assured web-based mapping software for state roads would be implemented within 100 days.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in North East (SARDP-NE) had recently approved construction of 12 road stretches in Nagaland at a cost of over Rs 3000 crore.
The construction companies have been given three years’ time for completion of these road projects. They will also be responsible for four years for any defects of the roads, the land for which is being provided by the state government.