If you visit the homepage of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), one quote stands out in bold, positioned at the top-left corner:
“We have transformed Northeast from ‘Abandoned’ to ‘Abundant’ Region.”
These words, spoken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with The Assam Tribune in April 2024, encapsulate the Centre’s narrative around infrastructure in the Northeast.
But across the eight states of the region, the ground reality raises serious questions about whether the transformation is actually taking place—or if it’s collapsing under its own weight.
The Numbers: Grand Mandates vs Ground Realities
NHIDCL, a Schedule ‘A’ Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, is responsible for the development, maintenance, and upgrading of national highways and strategic roads, especially in the country’s most difficult terrains.
The Corporation has been tasked with spearheading infrastructure in the Northeast, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand.
According to data on its official website, NHIDCL oversees 362 projects, of which 177 are completed and 188 are ongoing. Just 7 are in West Bengal, 12 in Andaman and Nicobar, 21 in Jammu & Kashmir, 10 in Ladakh, and 14 in Uttarakhand. The remaining are concentrated in the Northeast, which has long been portrayed as both a challenge and a priority for India’s infrastructure policy.
In Arunachal Pradesh, there are 43 projects, with 28 completed, 12 ongoing, and 3 awarded but not yet appointed. Assam hosts 74 projects, of which 30 are completed and 42 are ongoing.
In Manipur, 47 projects have been initiated, 17 of which are completed and 29 are ongoing. Meghalaya has 18 projects, with 10 ongoing and 6 completed. Mizoram accounts for 33 projects, 17 of which are completed. In Nagaland, 37 projects have been undertaken, with 20 completed. Sikkim has 16 projects, 14 completed. Tripura has 30 projects, with 17 completed.
NHIDCL often presents these numbers as evidence of rapid progress. But the deeper question is how many of these projects have genuinely benefitted the people on the ground, and how many have created more problems than they were meant to solve.
Official Claims: Vision, Policy, and Purpose
On April 11, 2025, NHIDCL published a note titled “Travails of Building Better Infrastructure in High Terrains,” acknowledging the harsh conditions it operates in. The article described the Corporation’s work in remote, hilly terrains, claiming that despite landslides, difficult access, and extreme weather, NHIDCL continues to push forward with development in the Northeast.
In a high-level meeting on June 24, 2025, Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), reiterated the Corporation’s centrality to India’s “Act East Policy.”
He stated that NHIDCL is the executing arm responsible for the construction and management of national highways in high-altitude and border regions. According to him, the agency not only builds roads but strengthens cross-border trade, national security, and economic integration between South and Southeast Asia.
Nagaland: The Case for Indigenous Consultation
Despite this lofty mandate, NHIDCL’s work in various Northeast states has come under intense scrutiny. In Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio inspected the landslide-hit stretch of National Highway-2 at Phesama near Kohima on July 22, 2025, and called on NHIDCL to speed up repair efforts. He also warned against careless debris disposal practices, noting that improper handling of landslip materials could damage surrounding homes and infrastructure.
Earlier, on June 3, Deputy Chief Minister T. R. Zeliang convened a high-level inspection after the collapse of National Highway-29, the state’s oldest highway. At this meeting, Dr. Vilhusa Seleyi, former president of the Angami Public Organisation (APO), sharply criticised NHIDCL’s subpar workmanship and inadequate drainage systems.
He stated that these technical failings were not merely errors in design, but a reflection of the agency’s refusal to engage with the knowledge held by indigenous communities who have lived in and moved through these terrains for generations.
Other community members echoed his concerns, stating that NHIDCL had failed to consult with locals before beginning major construction. Indigenous knowledge in these regions includes an intimate understanding of rainfall patterns, soil stability, landslide-prone zones, natural drainage routes, and vegetation cover.
In many tribal communities, routes have been historically built to contour slopes rather than cut directly through them—techniques that reduce erosion and minimise the risk of slides.
Land-related grievances have also escalated. Aggrieved landowners affected by the Kohima-Jessami two-lane road project blocked NH-29 in protest, alleging that NHIDCL had failed to compensate them for property damages caused by construction. The disputed stretch, covering Packages 2 to 5 between Sedzu Bridge and Lanye Bridge, has seen resistance since 2021.
Tripura and Arunachal: Compensation, Collapses, and Violations
In Tripura, similar tensions have emerged. In October 2024, state authorities noted that six sections of national highways collapsed during the monsoon, and accused NHIDCL of ignoring distress calls from local administration during the emergencies.
This year in June, Tripura Human Rights Commission also took serious note of a seven-year delay in compensation for landowners in Jampui Hills, where project alignments kept changing, contractors were replaced, and a new Detailed Project Report (DPR) delayed proceedings indefinitely.
In Arunachal Pradesh, in 2022, an environmental activist from Dibang Valley district accused NHIDCL of violating environmental norms during the construction of NH-313 from Roing to Anini.
The activist said that NHIDCL had begun work without obtaining the necessary clearance from the Arunachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, a violation that endangered both ecosystems and local livelihoods.
Meghalaya: From Development to Devastation
In June 2025, an opinion report published by Meghalaya Monitor titled “From Hills to Hell” directly linked recent devastating floods in Assam and Meghalaya to NHIDCL and NHAI projects. The report blamed unregulated hill cutting, poor drainage planning, and reckless dumping of debris into rivers for the destruction.
In Jorabat, Boko, Silkigre, Dalu, and even urban centres like Guwahati, highways turned into rivers.
In West Garo Hills, unchecked dumping of soil had choked natural drainage channels. Roads meant to connect communities instead ended up isolating them. The report stated: “The very projects meant to improve connectivity have disconnected communities—not by asphalt, but by water.”
Mizoram: Broken Roads, United Voices
In Mizoram, public frustration reached a tipping point. On June 2025, a landslide in Ngopa village in Saitual district forced the evacuation of a local hospital. Two homes were also swept away. Residents blamed recent road-cutting work by NHIDCL for destabilising the hillside.
On July 22, 2025, an emergency meeting between the Mizoram Public Works Department (PWD) and NHIDCL was held at the Secretariat Conference Hall, MINECO. PWD officials stated unequivocally that the deteriorating condition of the Kawnpui–Sairang stretch of NH-6 was due to poor execution and lack of follow-up maintenance by NHIDCL.
Commuters, transporters, and entire communities were left struggling amid impassable roads, traffic blockages, and mudslides. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded, and tipper associations began staging protests.
The frustration was not limited to logistics. On July 8, civil society organisations including the Mizoram Transformation Movement, Centre for Environment and Social Justice, Mizoram First, and Citizens Alliance for Truth and Social Justice came together to form the Joint Civil Society of Mizoram (JCM). Their shared mission was to confront the road crisis—a problem so severe it had united otherwise diverse organisations.
On July 17, Chinkhanmanga Thomte, General Secretary of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), attempted to meet NHIDCL Executive Director Virendra Jakhar, only to be told that he was on leave until August 7.
Thomte’s response was scathing. “While the whole state is suffering due to the lifeline being in a dilapidated condition, how can the Executive Director take leave? It seems like they will not care even if we die of hunger. We do not want his deputation term extended. He should not return to Mizoram.”
Even Mizoram’s Rajya Sabha MP Richard Vanlalhmangaiha intervened. He met NHIDCL Managing Director Dr. Krishan Kumar, who assured him that a new Executive Director had been appointed. But whether this change in personnel will lead to actual change on the ground remains uncertain.
Who Gets to Shape the Northeast?
NHIDCL has been assigned responsibility for building roads in some of India’s most ecologically fragile, topographically complex, and politically sensitive regions. Yet its top officials include no one from these areas. Can a corporation truly succeed in the hills if it does not understand the hills? Can it build trust if it does not recognise the centuries of traditional knowledge embedded in these landscapes?
Also Read: How a crumbling highway sparked an oil crisis and public outrage in Mizoram