'Protest' social work shines Guite road
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 11 2010: Thousands of people today turned up along the 145 kms stretch of Guite Road in response to the Guite Road Black Day Organizing Committee's mass protest social work, underlining the over-whelming public support for their cause and the need for an all weather road connecting Mizoram to this southern district.

Almost two hundred vehicles, including commercial trucks and passengers buses, ferried volunteers across the district to various destinations along the road in response to the call for sacrificing a man-day's labour for mass protest social work.

Despite the fact that the public barely manage to manually reinforce a Bailey bridge along the road and level some of the pathetically hostile stretch, the response that the protest call received could very well send the Government a telling message.

Bailey bridge being repaired during the protest social work

Nowhere in the country has such a huge number of people have assembled to protest and at the same time attempt to restore an inter-State highway on their own.

Today's protest clearly validated the organizers claim that the public were ready to walk the extra mile to have their demand fulfilled.

Commencing the protest work from the opposing ends, the people gathered at Suandoh Public ground, about four-and-a-half kilometre drive from here for a meeting.

Any resolution adopted, however, is yet to be known as the meeting progressed well beyond dusk.

Local MLA V Hangkhanlian and T Hangkhanpau also graced the meeting and called on the Government to pay heed to the popular wishes.

'The public has since long demanded that all stretch of Guite Road be handed over to the BRO but the State Government has delayed till date despite a Cabinet decision in 2006 .

It is high time they heeded to the popular demand,' Hangkhanlian said.

His counterpart in Singngat AC, T Hangkhanpau as well echoed the sentiments of the former.

'The emotions and sentiments of the people have been provoked by the delay in handing over Guite Road to the BRO.

The Government should take clue from today's protest,' he said.

Talking to the media, Zomi Council Chairman and a former HAC Chairman N Songchinkhup said that the State Government has been maintaining the Guite Road for a long time without any visible improvement.

''That is why we insist on the BRO,'' he said.

Unequivocal pleadings of the local populace here for the past five years, that the Guite Road, which has ever since landing into the hands of the State Works Department never resemble a highway, was in principles handed over to the BRO in 2006, in response to popular demand.

Yet the alleged manoeuvre by the State Works Department to partially hand over the road stretch to the BRO and the ever worsening road condition coupled with treacherous bridges has fling the mass movement today.

Meanwhile, amidst the rush in response to the protest work calls a truck ferrying volunteers met an accident in Mata village at around 9 am, injuring more than eighteen people, at least four of them seriously.

Though most of the injured were treated at the district hospital here four of the volunteers identified as Pauchinlam, 24 of Mualkoi, Thuamlalmuan, 16 of Gangpimual, Thanglunsiam, 18 of Mualkoi and Kamgouthianlal, 25 of Gangpimual were referred to Imphal for further treatment.