Morung Express News
Kohima | November 12
The Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court on Wednesday directed the Nagaland Government to file an additional affidavit within a week detailing the progress of repair works and future plans for a damaged stretch of National Highway-29 (NH-29), which connects Kohima city with Jotsoma Bypass, ahead of the upcoming Hornbill Festival.
The division bench, comprising Justice Nelson Sailo and Justice Budi Habung, passed the order after hearing submissions from the state’s Additional Advocate General (AG) and the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD–National Highway), who was present in court.
Durign the hearing, the Additional AG informed the court that steps have been taken to blacktop the 12.64-km stretch from Lerie Junction to Jotsoma Bypass Junction after a tender process was completed.
The work covers the section between chainage 172.900 km and 185.540 km of NH-29.
He added that the city portion of the highway would be prioritised because of the Hornbill Festival, while the remaining 5.64 km would be completed within the contractual period of 11 months.
The bench directed the state to file an additional affidavit before the next hearing, scheduled for November 19, detailing the progress of current works and long-term measures to ensure road durability.
Observing that the NH-29 stretch often becomes unserviceable frequently, if not annually, the court said the affidavit must also identify the authority responsible for implementing permanent measures. The bench noted it had been informed that the highway was designed to handle vehicles weighing up to 30 tonnes, but trucks weighing 50–60 tonnes regularly ply on it, causing rapid deterioration.
The judges asked the government to specify in its affidavit the alternatives being considered to divert heavy vehicles away from Kohima city, given that a bypass exists. If the bypass is currently not serviceable, the affidavit must explain the reasons and outline the steps being taken to restore it.
“The additional affidavit shall be filed on or before the next date, with a copy furnished to the counsels of the opposite parties,” the order said.
The matter will be heard again on November 19, along with another PIL (suo motu) concerning the NH-2 Kohima–Mao road project.
