Two decades can completely change the landscape of a region, but in Nagaland, one cannot even complete the 4-laning of the Dimapur-Kohima Highway, the state’s most important lifeline. How did things go so bad, and will things ever improve?
Kohima: In October 2003, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee experienced the National Highway-29 (previously numbered NH-39) in Nagaland as he journeyed 74 kilometres from Dimapur to Kohima. The trip, necessitated by bad weather, prompted him to announce a Rs 400 crore package for the construction of a four-lane highway connecting Nagaland’s capital, Kohima, to its commercial hub, Dimapur.
However, two decades later, the ambitious project remains mired in delays, mismanagement, and increasing safety concerns, raising the question: Is NH-29 becoming a ‘death trap’?
The deadly road
The NH-29 in Nagaland, for many, including first-time MLA, Achumbemo Kikon, is “scary” and a “nightmare to travel”. So, what makes it scary?
According to a February 2024 update from the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), nine road projects have been completed in Nagaland, covering 190.37 kilometres at an estimated cost of Rs 2,408.30 crore. However, 30 other projects are still ongoing, spanning 602.3 kilometres and requiring an investment of Rs 10,871.2 crore.
Among these are three crucial segments of the four-lane Dimapur-Kohima road along NH-29: Design Km 123.840 to Km 138.775 under SARDP-NE on EPC basis (Package – I); Design Km 138.775 to Km 152.490 under SARDP-NE on EPC basis (Package – II); laning of balance work of Dimapur Kohima Road from Design Km 152.490 to Km 166.700 (Existing Km 156.000 to Km 172.900) under SARDP-NE (Package – III).
The National Highway-29 in Nagaland has increasingly become a risky passage. Landslides, rockslides, and most recently, a cloudburst that triggered landslides and claimed six lives, have highlighted the precarious state of this essential route.
On Tuesday night, a massive landslide at Pherima near Pagala Pahar in Chümoukedima district shocked the state, claiming six lives and injuring several others. This tragic incident, however, is not isolated; in July last year, a massive rockslide along the stretch also resulted in fatalities.
In mid-August, a major landslide along the NH-29 stretch in Dzüdza village, under the Sechü Zubza division, severed the Kohima-Dimapur link. This disruption was discussed during the two-day monsoon Assembly session at the end of August.
During the recent state Assembly session, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio criticised the NHIDCL for the way it managed the Kohima-Dimapur four-lane road project. He described the NHIDCL’s performance as a “miserable failure” and noted that the current state of the road is in a “very bad situation.”
Rio recalled that the ambitious four-lane project, originally promised by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was put on hold for about a decade after the Congress came to power. The project only resumed after the BJP-led NDA government took over. However, even after all these years, the work remains incomplete.
Rio also recounted his recent meeting with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, where he raised serious concerns about the project.
According to Rio, Gadkari acknowledged the issues and even supported the state’s decision to file criminal cases against those responsible for the poor execution of the project. Gadkari reportedly suggested that a non-bailable warrant should be issued against those involved.
The chief minister also raised concerns about the engineering and technology used and hinted that additional FIRs might be filed against NHIDCL and the firms involved if necessary.
Improper planning, but who is surprised?
Interestingly, the NHIDCL admitted to improper planning in the NH-29 road construction in Nagaland.
In response to a starred question raised by MLA Achumbemo Kikon during the monsoon Assembly session regarding the delay in the project’s completion, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister-in-charge of PWD (National Highways), TR Zeliang, cited NHIDCL sources, acknowledging improper planning as one of the contributing factors among others.
The NHIDCL listed several reasons for the delay, including improper planning, the EPC contractor’s default, and inadequate manpower. Additional factors cited included delays in providing an encumbrance and hindrance-free site, unseasonal and seasonal rainfall, strikes and bandhs leading to adverse law and order situations, utility shifting delays, working constraints due to frequent landslides (local customs and religious sentiments, sliding in the Pagala Pahar area), and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The termination of two EPC contractors due to slow progress on the Dimapur-Kohima Road project was another reason listed for the delays.
A project delayed, derailed
“I had a first-hand experience. Mother Nature wanted me to take the road journey from Dimapur to Kohima. I was told that, of all the roads in the state, this is the best. If this is the best, it is difficult to imagine how bad is the worst,” Vajpayee was quoted by journalists in 2003.
The long-promised four-lane road project finally saw some progress when Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, laid the foundation stone at Patkai Bridge in Chumukedima in 2015.
The Dimapur-Kohima Road, NH-29, was transferred from the Border Roads Organization (BRO) to the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) in 2016 for developing a 4-lane highway.
Despite work commencing that year, the project has consistently missed completion deadlines, leading Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) to express deep pessimism
In 2022, Chief Minister Rio publicly acknowledged the project’s stagnation, despite multiple interventions by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and former governors of Nagaland. The project missed its three-year completion mark, leaving the critical Kohima-Dimapur stretch vulnerable to natural disasters and rising road fatalities.
Never-ending delay: The project may not finish by next year
The completion timeline for the four-lane road project from Dimapur to Kohima, as per the latest agreements as revealed by Deputy CM TR Zeliang is:
Package I: The total work order was Rs 387 crore with the Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor under M/s Ramky – ECI (JV). While the appointed date of the package was September 16, 2016, the completion date was September 15, 2019. The project’s completion date is set for December 31, 2024.
Package II: The total work order was Rs 339.55 Crore with Ramky-ECI (JV) as the EPC contractor. While the appointed date of the package was August 3, 2016, the scheduled date of completion was August 2, 2019. Although the project was officially marked as completed on June 10, 2023, legislators questioned the authenticity of the completion status as work remained incomplete.
Package III: The total amount of the work order was Rs 111.19 crore, and the work was entrusted to M/s Oasis Project Limited as an EPC contractor. The appointed date of the package was September 1, 2021, and the scheduled completion date was August 31, 2022. As per the latest update, the package is scheduled for completion within two years from the appointed date, with a target completion date of September 28, 2025.
Despite the assurances, it remains to be seen if the crucial road project will ever see the light of day. In the meantime, people continue to take risks for something as simple as commuting from point A to point B.
This story has been published as part of the AIPP-EastMojo Fellowship 2024
Also Read: Peace, what peace? Are ceasefire deals with Naga groups fueling ‘unlawful activities’?