Streetlights on NH-29 ‘flicker’ as ownership issue persists

November 4, 2023 26 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 4

The streetlights along the four-lane stretch of National Highway (NH)-29, running from Dimapur’s Purana Bazaar to Chümoukedima, continue to experience chronic flickering, as authorities remain uncertain about responsibility for their maintenance.

In January, The Morung Express reported that neither the Public Works Department (PWD) National Highways nor the Power Department claimed ownership of the installed streetlights.

Officials from the Power Department then asserted that they wouldn’t assume responsibility for these facilities unless a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the departments or with the contractor firm.

Nearly ten months later, the issue of responsibility remains unresolved.

As a result, no such agreement has been reached, according to an Executive Engineer at the Nagarjan Power Station.

This situation is exacerbated by the consistent lack of adequate power supply throughout the year in the state.

Dimapur faced one of its most severe power outages in September this year, coupled with erratic power supply throughout the year.

With the onset of the winter season and expected increase in vehicle movement, especially from other districts, there are concerns about a potential rise in road accidents.

Since its completion in 2020, the four-lane stretch has witnessed its fair share of road accidents in recent years.

A report from the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) on ‘Road Accidents in India – 2020’ highlighted National Highways in Nagaland as accident hotspots, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all road accidents.

Police officials also noted that the majority of road accidents in Dimapur occur after 6:00 PM.

Furthermore, on October 31, the Directorate of Economics and Statistics revealed that the state had witnessed a total of 2,249 cases, including 201 fatal accidents and 1,420 injuries in the last five years.

In 2021-22, a total of 894 accident cases were reported, representing an increase of approximately 105.52% over 435 cases in 2018-18.