Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of Dimapur under the aegis of the Naga Council Dimapur (NCD), have urged upon the governor to initiate urgent development works in Dimapur city such as– construction of bypass road, flyover, completion of Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex, lifting of Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act etc.
In a representation to governor La Ganesan, the CSOs lamented that despite being the nerve centre of business and a gateway to Nagaland, Dimapur city continues to be totally neglected in terms of developments.
By-pass road: The CSOs informed that a letter was submitted to the chief minister through the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dimapur on July 11 this year, for construction of a 2.7 km two-lane road at NH-29 from Amar Mill point near the inter-state check gate to Burma Camp, Dhansiri bridge.
The CSOs also requested metalling and black-topping of the approach road from Daily Market Bamunpukhuri-1 to the New Naga Cemetery in Zani area. They pointed out that the new cemetery was commissioned for use in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the approach road leading was in a deplorable condition.
Hence, they desired to have the approach road constructed with inclusion of side drainage at the earliest.
Sports Complex: The CSOs also said the proposed Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex at Dimapur has become a failure since construction works remained uncompleted.
They said the complex had been under construction since 2005 and as per the terms and conditions, it should have been completed by 2009, but till date there was no sign of its completion.
They requested the governor Ganesan to ensure that the construction was completed at the earliest for the sake of young sports talents who wished to take sports as their profession.
District Hospital: The CSOs also pointed out that construction work for the new wing of Dimapur District Hospital, has stopped just while it was on the verge of completion with no further progress.
The CSOs, therefore, requested the governor to ensure completion of the Hospital in a timebound frame.
Flyover: The CSOs further appealed for urgent construction of a new flyover from Plaza point in the city and joining the present railway overbridge. They said the flyover was required to ease the current traffic congestion, especially for the of school-going students and office goers.
Unity Mall: Reminding the governor that the Unity Mall allocated for Dimapur was a part of the Union Budget 2023-2024 for establishment of such malls across the country to promote and showcase the state’s “one district one product”.
However, the CSOs expressed fears that this project was likely to be shifted and constructed at a nearby district. The CSOs reiterated that they will not accept such a step-motherly treatment meted out towards the citizens of Dimapur, and appealed for reinstatement of the Unity Mall to its proposed site.
NLTP Act: Further, claiming that the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act was a total failure in Dimapur district, the CSOs requested the governor to have it lifted the district with proper mechanism.
Though both the public and law enforcers called for complete closure of liquor outlets, they said the Act had become a mockery as there were nearly 1,000 liquor outlets in the city itself.
The CSOs said that drug users have multiplied, especially among the school and college-going students. Hence, they requested the governor to put up the matter for urgent discussion in the next session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
Reiterating that Dimapur has been neglected and had not witnessed development initiatives of the government, the CSOs sincerely appealed to the governor to give special attention on the above-mentioned issues for all round growth and development of Dimapur district.
The representation was signed by presidents of Naga Council Dimapur (NCD), Dimapur Urban Council Chairmen Federation (DUCCF), Naga Women Hoho Dimapur (NWHD), Dimapur GBs’ Union (Sadar), Dimapur Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), Business Association of Nagaland (BAN), Dimapur District GB’s Association (DDGBA), Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) and Dimapur Eastern Naga Students’ Union (DENSU).