Reidents of Mylliem Lyngkien finally have access to a motorable road after years of waiting in vain, all thanks to the efforts of a public spirited individual, Jokin Kurkalang.
Kurkalang spent Rs 15 lakh of his own money to build the 1 kilometre road to serve the 100 households of the village. Work on the project began during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Highland Post resident of Lyngkien, Charles Nongkhlaw said lack of roads in the area has caused great hardships to the residents especially the aged, sick, and pregnant women where most of the time the villagers would just carry them in chairs to take them to the health centers.
“We have apprised about this hardship many times to the local MLA Hamletson Dohling and told him that we don’t have roof tins, etc but to no avail. We are grateful to Kurkalang for his generous deed including all those landowners who lend their land free of cost in building this road,” he said.
Kurkalang who owns land in the area, which is about 17 kilometers from the State capital, said that he had several times witnessed people in need of medical attention being carried sometimes on chairs, etc owing to lack of road in the area.
“People in this area told me that they have been fooled by their successive MLAs to date who have always assured to give them the road but all in vain,” he said, adding, that last time the villagers met the local MLA Dohling told them that the government is facing funds constraints and they will have to wait for the road for another three-four years.
He said that the villagers have always requested him to help them with the road and seeing their misery he took the decision to help them and he built the road in March.
Although the road is now motorable, Kurkalang hopes the government will step in to complete the black-topping and make it more permanent.
A passerby, Vitelbiew Langstieh said that the road has immensely helped the villagers even as she said that many politicians come to them only during the election but totally ignore them once the election is over.
“We are thankful to Kurkalang because he did what all the politicians in this constituency have failed to do only to use us as as vote banks,” she added.
