"Converting Khuochiezie into temporary parking lot would be disastrous. Location meant for sporting and other events.
Traders along the stretch from TCP gate to Razhü point in Kohima have voiced serious concern over the plan to convert the stretch into a no parking zone from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. by Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL).
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Peter Rutsa, Keluongutuo Solo and Keneikhrielie Mepfhüo representing the traders said the proposed move by KSCDL would greatly affect them. They clarified that although they were not opposed to development of the city under the smart city project, they said recent development works had caused heavy losses to the traders.
They were of the opinion that KSCDL could have outsourced its numerous projects across the city instead of simply targeting the particular area. Pointing out that parking along the stretch would not have affected vehicular movement had it been manned by “proactive” traffic personnel, the traders said they were not convinced by the proposed plan.
They also pointed out that the government’s plan to convert Khuochiezie (local ground) into a temporary parking lot would be disastrous since the location was meant for sporting and other activities. They urged the government to stop looking for temporary solutions.
Questioning the feasibility of converting the heart of the town into a recreational park, the traders said it would be improper on the part of KSCDL to please pedestrians at the expense of traders since the latter were also equal stakeholders in the development of the city.
Urging the authorities to opt for discussion instead of enforcing their plans, the traders said they were ready to cooperate and resolve the pressing issues collectively.
They also pointed out that though Rs. 262 crore was spent under the smart city project, no development progress could be seen anywhere. They wondered why KSCDL was focused only on that particular stretch when other parts of the town were available with lesser traffic.
They further alleged that the government had turned the traders into “guinea pigs” by experimenting its various plans along that stretch even as they were running their businesses with huge losses everyday.