Six feet under: Why road projects never finish in Nagaland

The year 2022 is almost about to end, and as we enter the third year of the third decade of this century, we are no closer to answering some of life’s most profound questions. Some questions, like ‘what happens after we die’ and ‘Is there life on other planets’ may have profound, or no answers. 

But in Nagaland, the profound questions can wait. Here, people are still asking: what would it take for the state to complete road projects for once and not watch them being completed for what seems like an eternity?

Think about it: how often do you hear a sitting Chief Minister complain that a project may not see the light of day? But here we are, with Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio expressing gloom over the sorry state of affairs hampering developmental activities.

The CM may have been pessimistic about the completion of the Dimapur-Kohima four-lane road, but the state of affairs in Nagaland is such that he may as well say the same about several state road projects. 

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And before someone labels us as doomsday activists, or worse, pushing fake news, we looked at three road projects covering the Kamaleah area under the Phek district, which remain far from completion even though completion certificates were issued years ago. 

Finding roads in Kamaleah

Kamaleah region comes under the Meluri sub-division of the Phek district, comprising several villages: Ka-Kanjang, Ma-Matikhrü, Le-Lephori and Ah-Akhen. However, it also covers Reguri, Molhe Post, and Starlake, all along the Indo-Myanmar border. Lephori village is among the oldest villages under Meluri and is said to be the ancestral village of the Pochury people. According to elders, the village was established many years ago and people migrated to other villages under the sub-division. Another prominent village in this area is Kanjang, the first among the Meluri sub-division to embrace Christianity in 1945. 

Reguri and Akhen are one of the last villages along the Indo-Myanmar border. Lephori village, at about 165 km, is the closest to Kohima via Jessami under Manipur’s Ukhrul district.

Now, allow us to explain why we started with Kamaleah. First, let us try to understand how a project is sanctioned, how the money is allocated and what happens after that. 

What are the road projects under the scanner?

In 2020, a Public interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by “publicly spirited persons” at the Gauhati High Court-Kohima bench for three road projects. This included the stretch from Akhen to Star Lake (15 KM); Lephori to Molhe Post (26 KM); and T.O1 (popularly known as Akash Bridge) to Kanjang (38 KM). While the first two work orders were issued to M/S Rhino Construction and agency, the third work order was issued to M/S Nagaland Steel Engineering, under the same contractor L Metha.

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The first work order from Akhen to Star Lake was issued on April 11, 2011, for an amount of Rs 5.69 crore on the condition that work should be completed in 24 months. The second work order from Lephori to Molhe Post (former Army camp) was issued on November 20, 2011, for Rs 30 crore and additional funds of Rs 30 crore (Rs 15 Cr each on March 6, 2017, and October 4, 2018), the completion certificate for which was issued by executive engineer of Public Works Department (PWD) Roads and Bridges (R&B) Abijah Khing on January 21, 2014, stating that the quality of work was “good” and the project was completed on January 8, 2014.

The third work order from T.01 to Kanjang was issued on November 21, 2017, for Rs 26,72,77,000 on the condition that the work should be completed within 18 months.

Intriguingly, the petitioners had also highlighted an overlap of 11 KM between the work covered by the first work order and the second work order, and 15 KM between the work covered by the 1st work order and the third work order.

Earlier in March this year, the President of the Rising Youth Phek District, a unit of Rising People’s Party (RPP), Kulüpoyi Vadeo, also filed FIR against the firm, contractor and executive engineer PWD (R&B), for fraudulently siphoning money for two of the road projects—Akhen to Star Lake, and Lephori to Molhe Post.

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Expert committee sees lies, not roads

On November 1, 2022, the High Court set up a committee of four advocates: Joshua Sheqi, Moa Jamir, L Likhase, and Arenlong to inspect the work progress and also verify the overlapping of the work orders.

The committee report, presented to the court on November 16 showed that all three work orders were on the same stretch of road covering a total length of 56 KM starting from T.O1 to Star Lake, that is, 19 KM from the starting point—T.O1 to Lephori; 11 KM from Lephori to Kanjang; 11 KM from Kanjang to Akhen; 12 KM from Akhen to Molhe post; and 3 KM from Molhe post to Star Lake.

The Committee Report revealed that “nothing much has been done on the ground and there has been overlapping of the works as alleged by the petitioners.” 

The Court had also directed the Chief Engineer of Nagaland PWD (R&B) to file an affidavit, stating when the three projects would be completed, with timelines for each component of the work. The chief engineer of NPWD (R&B) is also answerable to the Court as to why there has been overlapping of the works on the three projects. While the contractor has been directed to execute works in full swing so that the projects are completed in time, the next hearing is listed on December 7.

What do people in the region say?

When EastMojo visited Lephori, Kanjang and Akhen in mid-November, some residents were unhappy over the work progress while others were content that roads finally made it to their villages.

Kuzuwete Village Council Chairman (VCC) of Lephori, Zarpa Katiry, recounted how before the sanctioned work projects, fresh earth cutting was manually done for the stretch from T.01 to Lephori way back in 1974 under the PWD as part of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). In 1980, the same stretch was widened. As for the stretch from Lephori to Kanjang, he said earth cutting was done only in 1978, and from Kanjang to Reguri, new cutting was done in 2003.

While there is hardly any work progress since the sanctioning of the three work projects, he said some of the overlapping road projects are non-existent even though a total of Rs 92.42 crore has been allotted for the projects. “Since the amount has been drawn, the works should be completed as per the Detailed Project Report (DPR),” he said.

Katiry also informed that a series of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the villages and the contractor from time to time. One MoU which is in with EastMojo was signed between the contractor and Kamaleah Area Public Organization (KAPO) on February 2, 2020, and states that the construction from Lephori to Molhe Post and Akhen to Star Lake would finish before February 2021.

The MoU also stated that in case of non-completion of the works, KAPO would have every right to go for any legal right against the contractor. However, despite the MoU, Katiry said that there has not been much progress.

In addition, Kanjang village council chairman Jonjang Singsong also shared his discontentment over the lack of progress in the projects. During a conversation outside his residence at Kanjang village, he expressed how the contractor does not care about the residents despite the cooperation from the villagers over the past years.

He alleged that the leaders who voiced out faced harassment and abuse from the contractor on more than one occasion, citing an incident that took place at the office chamber of the chief engineer this year when an ultimatum was issued to the engineer-in-chief NPWD on April 4, 2022. In this regard, the Pochury Hoho, the apex tribal body of the Pochury Nagas had condemned the incident, but as per a document obtained, the engineer-in-chief NPWD Kahuli Sema denied the allegations saying that the alleged manhandling by the contractor did not happen in the engineer’s presence.

As we travelled to Akhen village where the Court’s inspection team stopped to change their mode of transportation, a representative of the Reguri village council, who addressed a gathering on November 11, said his village residents had only seen roads after the contractor made roads in the village. Expressing his support for the contractor, the village leader said that though the progress has been slow, the residents need such road developments as it borders Myanmar. 

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Unlike the other two VCCs, the Akhen village council chairman, joining his Reguri counterpart, brushed off the “ghost roads” allegation saying that “there are roads” till Akhen.

Although vehicles were motorable till Akhen, the inspection team along with the contractor and residents loaded in four-wheel drives and renowned Shaktiman trucks, proceeded towards Star Lake from Akhen. It was later learnt that the Assam Rifles posted at Akhen had been maintaining the stretch from Akhen to Kanjang.

Joshua Sheqi, a member of the Committee, assured that the inspection was following the law and although the team gave a hearing to the locals, the findings, he said, would only be based on the specifications of the work allotments issued by the government.

Why are these roads important for the residents?

Veneichong, a mother of 6 from Akhen village, shares what living near the Myanmar border is like. Three of her children study in a government school in Meluri, while the other three work as Shaktiman drivers.

“There is only one primary school in our village. So after my children crossed the stage, we had to send them to a government school in Meluri (about 71 KM away from Akhen). Even though they are studying for free, we end up spending a lot on travel expenses because of the road,” she said.

Travel expenses cost from Rs 900 to Rs 1500, and the only public transport for the locals is Shaktiman and pick-up trucks. While her husband, a village guard, earns about Rs 3000 a month, Veneichong works in the field to feed the family. “I stopped childbirth after the sixth child so I developed health complications, making it difficult for me to do heavy work,” she added.

There is no healthcare facility at Akhen and the nearest is the sub-centre at Kanjang has one nurse attending to patients. While there is a Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Lephori, residents from the area are often compelled to rush to the hospital at Meluri for medical attention.

Alusi, a mother of 5, informed that residents of the village survive on agriculture. However, the residents have to travel to Meluri to buy rations from time to time. “Most of the time, the trucks bring our rations without us having to travel. But for one 50 kg rice bag, the charge is Rs 200. So, essential commodities become expensive for us. Because of transportation problems, we also cannot sell our products,” she shared.

Besides, these villages bordering Myanmar also have the potential to pave the way for international trade activities. Lephori VCC informed that many residents from Myanmar walk to the nearby villages in Nagaland to purchase essential goods and commodities. 

Over the past month, residents and organisations of Eastern Nagaland have come together to demand Frontier Nagaland and have said that if the government fails to act on their demands, they will abstain from voting in the coming elections. The question remains: what will it take for them to get roads like the rest of the nation? Clearly, the Nagaland government does not have a good answer.

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