Akhoya Youth Organization (AYO) has urged the state government to expedite the Changtongya-Longleng highway road construction works from zero point to 321 meter, which has still not begun due “some ensuing technicalities”, by following all the highway and technical norms. In an open letter to the Nagaland governor and chief minister, the AYO president L Temjen Wapang and general secretary K. Moatoshi said that Akhoya Village Council and AYO had submitted numerous representations state to the highway department and NHIDCL since 2013.
The signatories said that on September 27, 2019, AVC, land owners union and AYO had a joint meeting with Phom People’s Council (PPC) and after thoroughly surveying the zero point, made an agreement that all the works related to Changtongya-Longleng road correction would be carried out together with mutual understanding. They said that officials from the office of chief engineer later conducted spot verification.
On December 11, 2019, they said the chief engineer wrote to the commissioner and secretary Works and housing informing about carrying out the aforementioned work.
Following which, they said DC Mokokchung along with DGM (NHIDCL) visited the spot and after thoroughly surveying the spot sent the spot verification report to commissioner Kohima through DC Mokokchung.
However, they said that on June 20, 2020, without any spot verification, a list for damage compensation was sent to the Akhoya land owners from NHIDCL. They said the list contained only 40% of the land owners’ names and the rest (60%) names were missing.
They said Akhoya Land Owners Union, therefore, summarily rejected the damage compensation list given by NHIDCL and did not issue No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Subsequently, they said that DC Mokokchung October 3, 2020 called the AVC and AYO for a meeting in the presence of DC and SDO (C), Mkg, SDO (C), Changtongya, EE NH, Mkg and NHIDCL. At the meeting, they said AVC and AYO shared their constraints and requirements regarding the issue. However, they said that on November 20, 2020 the DC verbally informed AVC that the demands for zero point intersection correction cannot be made.
AYO has, therefore, asserted that if the state government did not work taking into consideration the needs and plight of the people, Akhoya villagers would never accept such unethical activities. The signatories also urged the government to monitor and expedite the present issue at the earliest for the benefit of all.