The reference point of development

The level of development of Nagaland cannot be measured and judged by what we see in Kohima or Dimapur. It is said that Kohima is the mirror of Nagaland. But showcasing one city (or one festival like Hornbill Festival) cannot reflect the whole of Nagaland. A traveller from a neighbouring State commented that when he travelled between Kohima and Dimapur, he used to think that Nagaland has good roads unlike his State. But later when he got the chance to travel to the interiors of Nagaland, he saw that things were very different.

I had an experience of this sort when our Gypsy could not cross the Likhimro River while coming back from Thanamir, the last village in the Myanmar border. It had rained the night before and the water level was too high. So, we had to park the car by the river bank and walk over an hour uphill to the village to spend another night. The next morning, the villagers made all the preparations and went down to the river. The water level had receded and we could cross the river. But there were several places where we had to get down and push the car which led to extreme exhaustion. By the time we crossed Salomi and had a first view of our base destination Pungro, there was such a sigh of relief. In that weary state of mind and body, Pungro appeared like a mega city, a city of civilization with all the modern comforts (dry clothes, blacktopped toads, and mobile signal). But Pungro in the face of Nagaland is a remote town in the international border where development is slow.

The reference point for development should not be the number of storeys that people can build in Kohima or Dimapur. 4G internet has arrived but in most rural areas, 2G isn’t working. The important question to ask is, ‘Is development reaching the most insignificant person in the poorest socioeconomic group in the remotest village?’ If not, we cannot say that development is truly taking place in Nagaland. The reference point could be a little girl of a poor family living in an isolated village. What is the future of that girl? What kind of development has reached her so that she can look forward to the future with hope? 

We say that the world is progressing fast. Technology is progressing so rapidly, knowledge is exploding, choices and opportunities are multiplying. But if development is not inclusive, it is a lopsided development and will not bear good outcome in the long run: for those who lag behind, but also for those who are running ahead. Kohima is going to be a smart city. But it has to be accompanied by development of the smaller towns and villages. Smart city thinkers would have taken urban migration into consideration, that the city is not chocked by influx of migrants. A smart city is good for a lot of reasons including show business. But formulating and executing a development model which does not leave out any section of the people is a moral responsibility of development planners.