We too can have good roads

Lunsieh Kipgen *

Landslide and the pathetic condition of Imphal-Jiribam Highway on 20th May 2016 :: Pix - Rajeshwor Yumnam

"Roads are the face of development" – Neiphiu Rio, MP and Former Nagaland Chief Minister

As I prepare to go to Aryalur district in Tamil Nadu as an election observer in the last State Assembly elections (May 2016) the first thing I enquired of the said district administration was, – "how far this Aryalur district is located from Chennai and what would be the mode of travel?". The Aryalur district administration informed me that Aryalur is "just five hours drive from Chennai".

This "first information" gave me some travel tiredness (psychologically) in advance. After all, what a three hours drive or a double of it in Manipur takes is nothing less than a physical exhaustion courtesy bumpy ride, dusty and suffocative road environment. Though I also knew that roads in other parts of the country are nowhere to be compared with those in Manipur but a five hours travel by road anywhere is physically taxing anyway.

A five hours drive covering a distance of 350 kms from Chennai to Aryalur district Headquarters in Tamil Nadu, contrary to expectation turned out to be sort of a joy ride, thanks to the polished road combined with absence of jig-jag turns for possible source of nausea and travel related sicknesses. The road is a stretch of National Highway (NH) 45.

The bulk of this highway stretch is four-lane too with vehicles moving in the same direction overtaking one another at will with no disturbances from irritating horning from the rear. The drivers press-push the accelerators or withdraws at their discretion as they don't have to slow down their vehicle speed for potholes or rough surface road condition compulsions. There were hardly speed-breakers even in the tri-junctions as the men on the wheels or the crossing pedestrians are taken for granted to be alert enough to know when and where to slow down, when to cross, etc.

Very few cattle and no children were seen squatting on the road so it makes the ride a tension-free one. It was also obvious that highway criminality by organised or "disorganised" parties are not a cause for worry here as a single tough and young Tamil police gunman in uniform with a sten-gun was the sole security escort for me, my liaison officer, a helper and the driver throughout the journey from Chennai city to the distant Aryalur district headquarters.

Though this was not the first time for me to visit or see Tamil Nadu and experiences a road travel in the state but this particular Chennai-Aryalur travel-ride brought to my mind the road conditions in Manipur especially the National Highways. I was so impressed by the excellent road condition that I almost turned out to be a researcher on a field travel. I became more and more inquisitive and continually bombarded my liaison officer with barrages of questions including technical aspects of road constructions with reference to the very road we were travelling.

Incidentally, this liaison officer happened to be an engineer from the state PWD. However, unlike Manipur, the Tamil Nadu state PWD has no role in roads and highways constructions. Who does it then? It is the corporate private companies. The state govt gives private companies on lease the power and responsibility to build and maintain roads and highways in Tamil Nadu. Any private company would ensure quality in its work to keep its name.

As we passes through certain section of the road which was under expansion and repair I also could see machineries and blacktopping engine rollers, etc. at work. And these machineries were all foreign made – Japan. As I passes through a portion of road where repair/maintenance work was in progress I observed with keen interest and found to my shock that the portion under repair and re-blacktopping was much better in condition than the best portion of main roads in Manipur.

So I asked "this portion is still in good condition but why are they doing (blacktopping) it?" "The public won't keep quite if they don't do it", replied my liaison officer, laughing it off. That means the people of Manipur are so tolerant that they never complain or speak out about their bad road conditions and learn to live with bad roads, I deduced helplessly.

I always thought that the highways in south India especially in the Deccan and adjoining regions are strong because of its rocky soil. Though this could be a factor but soil condition alone cannot determine the road conditions. It is the amount of money sanctioned and put to real use in the road construction that matters. In the NH 45 I passed through a road portion where expansion or widening work was in progress. I noticed that foundation part of the road being expanded was dug at least three feet deep as if foundation part for a house construction was dug. Boulders were laid at the base of this foundation.

Upon this, hard earth and stone chips of different sizes are to be filled and then at least 6 inches thick of bitumen (coilas) mixed with sand and required ingredients shall adorn the surface part. Such quality roads will certainly be strong and lasting. Tragically, our roads in Manipur except Chingmeirong to Singjamei stretch of NH-2 or the Airport road resembles NHs in more prosperous states of the country.

The soil in Manipur valley may not be ideal for strong roads but the hill sections have hard-red soils suitable enough to have a good road. The only thing needed is to convert the cash notes meant for road constructions into boulders, pebbles, bitumen, etc. and laid on the roads, not partially but wholly.

The prevailing law and order environment in Manipur is often blamed for the absence or lack of developmental works including good roads. This may be true partly. But the state with its iron hand and invincible money and muscle power can always deal with any obstructive force if it really meant business and wanted to construct a good road which will benefit not just a few but the entire public.

Like states such as Tamil Nadu, Manipur state can also "lease out" the highway construction and maintenance work to well-established companies at least in respect of the two state's lifeline NHs – Mao to Imphal, Jiribam to Imphal, Moreh to Imphal stretches and provide fool-proof security to them instead of leaving it to unscrupulous individual contractors who are also bound to please and grease the palms of state and non-state actors alike. The public and the organised armed groups under SoO and ceasefire pacts with the governments can also be taken into confidence to ensure that any highway construction company in the state are not disturbed.

It is not necessary that responsibility for construction and maintenance of the NHs within the state must be given to the state PWD. It may take care of the rest of the roads within the state. The BRTF manning the NH-37 (Jiri-Imphal road) too seems to have acquired the graft art now as evident from the chronic pathetic road conditions under their responsibility. So it's time the role and responsibility given to the BRTF vis-avis NH-37 is reviewed too.

It is the responsibility of all the people of the land to ensure that they have at least a all-weather condition NH or two not only ship in essential things but to travel faster and more comfortably. In Churachanpur district a peculiar movement christened "Tribal Movement for Road Construction" has recently been floated which took up the cudgel to rebuild the dilapidated section of the road connecting Manipur's Churachanpur's southern tip with Mizoram. This road of course is not a NH but it once was in good shape.

A road which was in good condition many years back have to be even better now but sadly it is only worsening to doom. Hence the public of the district pooled their physical and material resources to save the said road from total disappearance. Similarly, an economic development oriented organisation called SEDO (in short form) from the same district had also started a road construction work to connect remote villages under Henglep division with the district Headquarters.

Sometime back (in 2014) a Tamil Nadu cadre IPS and a friend of mine came to Manipur on a private visit and had visited many places in the state worth visiting including Moreh only to leave a not so pleasing remark before leaving Moreh. "Compared to Manipur, Tamil Nadu is like America", he compared the two states with a note of disappointment,"Moreh is also like a village only!" Maybe this fellow had high thoughts about Manipur and Moreh being an important international border town it was not like what he had pictured in his mind. This is contrary to what many outsiders have observed in Manipur.

Many visitors from other parts of the country and abroad usually praise the fascinating landscapes of Manipur, its alluring climatic conditions, the enchanting Loktak lake, the incredible colourful cultural life and ethnic compositions, the physical beauty and hospitality of the people, etc. Any outsider coming to our state would not be much bothered by other developmental mirrors such as power supply conditions, drinking water supplies or the healthcare facilities. The surface of the main roads which he/she sees, treads and rides upon will directly shape his/her impressions about the land.

No doubt, bad law and order situations due to prevailing armed militancy, lack of infrastructures and economic developments are the other side with which Manipur is known. One major thing which gives an outsider visitor direct negative impression is the road conditions, that too National Highway. The name is also awesome – Trans-Asian Highways passing through Manipur towards Indo-Myanmar border town.

The Mao-Imphal stretch of this Trans-Asian highway, which ironically is the main life of the state too, is also not an impressive and comfortable surface road for visitors and the locals alike. As if the bad road (highway) conditions are not bad enough the "highway thuggry" makes it worse and render one and all equally insecure.

The irony is that while two bi-lane National Highways in the state cannot be maintained to its name and status there is talks of having four-lane highways. No doubt NH stretches in the valley can be made four-lane without much difficulty. To talk of a four-lane highway in the hill section of Manipur would be a utopia as of now. To cut and carve out space enough for two vehicles to cross each other in mountain cliff sections of the highways is difficult. So it would be wastage of time talking and planning unrealistic things.

A bird at hand is better than two in the air. Same way to concentrate on having a well-maintained two-lane highway would be better than dreaming a four-lane one. This does not mean that we should not dream or plan for an improved or an expanded highway. If a five hours drive on a NH in other parts of the country can be not so tiring we too can have an equally smooth and impressive road in our land, at least the lifeline National Highways.